Tennessee stuns Florida in SEC opener
Unranked Tennessee opened SEC play with a bang, using a 25-12 second-half run to upset No. 14-ranked Florida 67-56 in Knoxville, Tenn.Kenny Hall scored 13 points to lead the Volunteers (8-7, 1-0), who won their biggest game to date under first-year head coach Cuonzo Martin. Tennessee stymied Florida’s offense, which came in fourth in the nation averaging 85.4 points, and broke open a close game in the second half.Ahead 33-31 in the early seconds of the second half, Tennessee’s Josh Richardson kicked off the decisive run with a 3-pointer. Cameron Tatum and Hall each scored nine points during the run, Tatum’s 3-pointer with 9:14 to go giving the Volunteers a 58-43 advantage.Florida (12-4, 0-1) led 29-28 on Kenny Boynton’s 3-pointer with 1:41 left before halftime before the Volunteers scored the final five points of the half. Trae Golden’s 3-pointer with eight seconds left sent Tennessee into the break leading 33-29.The Gators, who came in shooting 48.2 percent from the season, shot a season-worst 37 percent. Leading the nation in average 3-pointers made (11.1), Florida finished just 7-for-20 from beyond the arc. Boynton and Erik Murphy led Florida with 13 points each; Murphy added four blocked shots.The Volunteers shot 51 percent and outscored Florida in bench points 19-1.The Volunteers travel Thursday to No. 16 Mississippi State. Florida hosts Georgia on Tuesday.
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