KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Chaz Lanier scored 18 points and Jordan Gainey had 16 as No. 12 Tennessee beat Gardner-Webb 80-64 on Monday night in the season opener for both teams.
Zakai Zeigler added 13 points and nine assists for the Volunteers, while Jahmai Mashack scored 10. Felix Okpara led the Vols' rebounding with nine. Darryl Simmons scored 22 points to lead the Bulldogs, and Anthony Selden and Jamaine Mann each had 13.
Gardner-Webb outrebounded Tennessee 32-29, with Isaiah Richards leading the way with eight. Gardner-Webb: Coach Jeremy Luther’s first game at Gardner-Webb was a whopper. The Bulldogs will be spending the early part of the season trying to fit five new faces into the rotation.
Tennessee: After a four-point exhibition loss to Indiana, the Vols cleaned up their shooting woes (they shot 24% in the first half of the exhibition and 31% for the game). The improvement will need to show as the season goes on. They still need to find the “hair on fire” defense that made them special last season.
Midway through the first half, Tennessee led by three. The Vols went on a 12-3 run that gave them a double-digit lead. Lanier, a transfer from North Florida, scored eight in a row.
That gave Tennessee its breathing room. Gardner-Webb scored 34 points in the paint against a Tennessee front line that's supposed to be much more physical than the Bulldogs. The Vols got caught a step slow on several exchanges.
Gardner-Webb plays at North Carolina Central on Friday while Ten.
