KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team fell at Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday, dropping a 75-53 decision to the No. 21 Volunteers.
 
Senior guard Ty Hudson led Jacksonville State (4-8) with 11 points, hitting three treys along the way, but it was not enough to stave off Rick Barnes from earning his 700th career win.
 
Jacksonville State turned the ball over five times in the first four minutes, helping Tennessee (8-3) to a 6-0 run and an 11-5 lead at the first media timeout, but the Gamecocks settled down soon after and earned a three-point lead just minutes later.
 
Tennessee's shooting cooled off and Jacksonville State hopped on a 10-0 run to take a 16-13 advantage at the 6:19 mark. Kayne Henry put the Gamecocks ahead by one on a drive and hook shot, and Martin Roub padded the lead with a jumper. Jacksonville State's defense didn't allow the Vols to score a basket over seven minutes during the run.
 
Tennessee was held to 37.5 percent shooting in the first half. The Gamecocks blocked four would-be baskets with Henry getting credit for two.
 
"I thought we were terrific in the first half," head coach Ray Harper said. "The group that came in while we were down 11-5 gave us a good boost. We ended up taking the lead by three, and could've gone up by five, but we missed free throws. That's when the momentum stopped."
 
The Gamecocks turned the ball over just five times the remainder of the half and trailed by four at the break. Hudson had a team-best nine points following the first 20 minutes, hitting all three of his baskets from beyond the arc. His 3-pointer at the buzzer made it a 30-26 game heading into halftime.
 
The Volunteers came out and quickly took control of the game in the second half. Tennessee went on a 10-0 run midway through the period that took its lead from nine to 19. The Vols' Jordan Bowden was one of four to score in double figures, totaling 19 points. The guard had 11 points in the 45-point second half.
 
"We weren't very good defensively in the second half," Harper said. "We made some mistakes and were letting guys fly by us in transition. And you have to give Tennessee a lot of credit. They made the most of our mistakes."
 
JSU's Henry ended his day with six points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while Jacara Cross came up just one point shy of his eighth double-digit scoring game of the season.
 
Jacksonville State returns to action at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 28 to take on Carver College. The final non-conference game of the season tips off at 4 p.m. 
 
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