TENNESSEE 83, FLORIDA 69
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Kevin Punter established the pace in the first half, and Tennessee used the fast start to remain unbeaten at home this season with an 83-69 victory over Florida on Wednesday night.
Tennessee (8-6, 1-1 SEC) made 20 of 39 shots for a 53-31 halftime lead. Punter, the No. 2 scorer in the SEC at 22.8 points per game, made his first seven shots and scored 18 of his game-high 26 points before halftime.
His free throws with 13:03 left to play in the second half gave Tennessee a 64-34 advantage that Florida couldn't overcome.
Kevaughn Allen (North Little Rock) led Florida with 18 points.
The Volunteers have won all eight home contests. They snapped a four-game losing streak to Florida (9-5, 1-1) by shooting 47 percent from the floor. The Gators shot 34 percent.
Tennessee freshman Admiral Schofield finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Dorian Finney-Smith had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Devin Robinson added 13 points for the Gators.
In another SEC men's game Wednesday night, J.J. Frazier scored 16 points to lead Georgia (8-4, 1-1 SEC) past Missouri (7-7, 0-1) 77-59 in Athens, Ga. Kevin Puryear led Missouri with 19 points.
SEC/TOP 25 MEN
NO. 21 TEXAS A&M 61, MISSISSIPPI STATE 60
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Jalen Jones scored 11 points, including the go-ahead dunk with 20 seconds left, to lead No. 21 Texas A&M over Mississippi State.
Texas A&M (12-2, 2-0), which beat Arkansas in its SEC opener Saturday in College Station, struggled to score for most of the night, but did just enough to earn its fifth consecutive victory. D.J. Hogg and Alex Caruso also each scored 11 points, and Admon Gilder added 10.
It was tied in the final minute when Caruso hit Jones with a pass on the baseline. The 6-foot-7 forward finished with the dunk to give the Aggies a 59-57 lead and they held on for the victory.
Gavin Ware had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Mississippi State (7-6, 0-1). Malik Newman added 14 points.
The Aggies won despite shooting 19 of 62 (30.6) percent from the field.
In other top 25 men’s games Wednesday night, Jake Layman scored 18 points, Diamond Stone had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 3 Maryland (14-1, 3-0 Big Ten) took control early in a 88-63 rout of Rutgers (6-10, 0-3) in College Park, Md. ... Myles Davis scored 19 points, Trevon Bluiett added 18 and No. 10 Xavier (14-1, 2-1 Big East) went down to the final minute before securing a 74-66 victory over St. John’s (7-9, 0-3).... Daniel Ochefu had 20 points and 18 rebounds to lead No. 11 Villanova (13-2, 3-0 Big East) past Seton Hall (12-3, 2-1) 72-63 in Villanova, Pa. Isaiah Whitehead led the Pirates (12-3, 2-1) with 20 points.... Matt Thomas scored 22 points, Jameel McKay had 19 points and 14 rebounds and No. 13 Iowa State (12-2, 1-1 Big 12) held off Texas Tech (11-2, 1-1) 76-69 for its first Big 12 victory. ... Grayson Allen scored 24 points and No. 14 Duke (13-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) pulled away to beat Wake Forest (9-5, 0-2) 91-75 in Winston-Salem, N.C. Freshman Luke Kennard added 23 points, Marshall Plumlee finished with a career-high 18, and Brandon Ingram had 17 for the Blue Devils. ... James Robinson and Jamel Artis scored 18 points apiece and No. 24 Pittsburgh (13-1, 2-0 ACC) held off Georgia Tech (10-5, 0-2) 89-84 in Pittsburgh. ... Charles Cooke scored 18 points and No. 25 Dayton (12-2, 2-0 Atlantic 10 Conference) had 26 points off turnovers in a 93-63 victory over Massachusetts (8-6, 1-1).
Sports on 01/07/2016