KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Tyler Smith scored a career-high 30 points and Tennessee routed Southeastern Conference East Division rival Vanderbilt 69-50 on Saturday.
After splitting the series for the past two seasons, the Volunteers grabbed a sweep over the Commodores—one of their oldest rivals. Tennessee dominated the first game of the season in the series, a 76-63 win in Nashville.
Both Tennessee and Vanderbilt entered the game on hot shooting streaks. The Vols (16-8, 7-3 SEC) shot 50.2 percent from the floor in their previous four games, while the Commodores (15-9, 4-6) were averaging 51.8 percent in their last four.
After five lead changes and a tie at the beginning of the first half, it was Tennessee that heated up first. Down by a point, the Vols launched a 14-0 run, and an Emmanuel Negedu dunk gave them a 19-6 lead with 10:34 before halftime.
