South Carolina State Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Gillespie scores 21 to lead No. 19 Tennessee's rout of South Carolina State 105-54
Nate Ament scored 16 points and Amari Evans added 14 for the Volunteers (10-3). Jaylen Carter had 13 points and 10 rebounds and J.P. Estrella finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Jayden Johnson scored 25 points for the Bulldogs (1-14).
In the first half, Tennessee shot better from the field (13 of 21, 62%) than the free throw line (13 of 24, 54%) while building a 41-25 lead. Gillespie had 14 points for the Vols, while Johnson scored 10 for the Bulldogs. Tennessee dominated the boards, 21-10.
Tennessee is reaping the benefits of its tough stretch in its nonconference schedule. The Vols played six teams from Power 4 conferences, earning a split.
From their exhibition loss to Duke, the new players on the Tennessee roster had to get an understanding of the type of defense demanded by coach Rick Barnes. It took several games but the Vols have seemingly found a working defensive plan.
A 21-point win over Louisville in mid-December helped show that Tennessee was ready for its SEC schedule.
The Bulldogs, who ended a 12-game skid by beating Brewton-Parker College, followed their only win of the season with losses to South Carolina and Tennessee.
Up next
South Carolina State: The Bulldogs host Howard on Saturday.
Tennessee: The Vols open the SEC season at Arkansas on Saturday.
How can I watch South Carolina State vs. Tennessee?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 54 - 105 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 54 - 105 |
| 2nd 0:18 | Amaree Abram Defensive Rebound. | 54 - 105 |
| 2nd 0:21 | Rayniel Wright misses 12-foot jumper | 54 - 105 |
| 2nd 0:34 | Amaree Abram makes 23-foot three point jumper (Troy Henderson assists) | 54 - 105 |
Statistics
 SCST |
 TENN |
|
|---|---|---|
| 19-55 | FG | 39-64 |
| 35 | Field Goal % | 61 |
| 6-20 | 3PT | 8-23 |
| 30 | Three Point % | 35 |
| 10-20 | FT | 19-33 |
| 50 | Free Throw % | 58 |
| 16 | Rebounds | 52 |
| 6 | Offensive Rebounds | 20 |
| 10 | Defensive Rebounds | 32 |
| 9 | Assists | 30 |
| 9 | Steals | 6 |
| 2 | Blocks | 7 |
| 10 | Turnovers | 10 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 10 | Total Turnovers | 10 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 6 | Points Off Turnovers | 15 |
| 4 | Fast Break Points | 22 |
| 18 | Points in Paint | 56 |
| 23 | Fouls | 16 |
| 0 | Largest Lead | 51 |
| 0 | Lead Changes | 0 |
| 0 | Percent Led | 99 |
Game Information
Location: Knoxville, TN
Attendance: 18,279 | Capacity:
2025-26 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina Central | 4-1 | - | 8-12 |
| Morgan State | 5-2 | - | 9-13 |
| Maryland Eastern Shore | 4-2 | 0.5 | 8-15 |
| South Carolina State | 3-2 | 1 | 5-16 |
| Howard | 4-3 | 1 | 14-9 |
| Norfolk State | 3-4 | 2 | 10-14 |
| Delaware State | 1-5 | 3.5 | 6-15 |
| Coppin State | 1-6 | 4 | 3-21 |
2025-26 Southeastern Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | 7-1 | - | 17-4 |
| Florida | 7-2 | 0.5 | 16-6 |
| Vanderbilt | 6-3 | 1.5 | 19-3 |
| Arkansas | 6-3 | 1.5 | 16-6 |
| Kentucky | 6-3 | 1.5 | 15-7 |
| Tennessee | 5-3 | 2 | 15-6 |
| Missouri | 5-4 | 2.5 | 15-7 |
| Auburn | 5-4 | 2.5 | 14-8 |
| Alabama | 4-4 | 3 | 14-7 |
| Georgia | 4-5 | 3.5 | 16-6 |
| Texas | 4-5 | 3.5 | 13-9 |
| Ole Miss | 3-5 | 4 | 11-10 |
| Mississippi State | 3-6 | 4.5 | 11-11 |
| LSU | 2-7 | 5.5 | 14-8 |
| South Carolina | 2-7 | 5.5 | 11-11 |
| Oklahoma | 1-8 | 6.5 | 11-11 |