Tennessee basketball obliterates Mississippi State 87-53 in Josiah-Jordan James' return
Santiago Vescovi slipped behind a screen and didn't come out the other side.
The Tennessee basketball senior uncorked a 3-pointer, draining his third straight to open against Mississippi State with some help from Jonas Aidoo. The Vols led 16-0 and the thorough torching was on as the Vols looked a lot like a team destined for a deep March on this Tuesday in January.
The Vols — and a healthy Josiah-Jordan James — obliterated Mississippi State and its highly regarded defense in an 87-53 win at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Vescovi led No. 9 Tennessee (12-2, 2-0 SEC) with 14 points. James played 17 minutes, scoring eight points and tallying four assists against the Bulldogs (11-3, 0-2), who allowed 54.5 points per game entering Tuesday. Zakai Zeigler had 11 points and a career-high 10 assists, his first career double-double.
The Vols shot 69.2% and were 12-for-21 on 3-pointers with a season-high 28 assists.
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Josiah-Jordan James returns
James returned after missing eight of the past 10 games with knee soreness. The senior guard checked in at the 15:14 mark, the third Vol off the bench after Aidoo and Zeigler. He was the first substitution in the second half.
James had not played since Dec. 7 against Eastern Kentucky. He has missed two four-game stretches due to knee problems lingering from an offseason procedure. He had progressively participated more in practice in recent days, excelling in Monday's prior to rejoining the lineup.
Tennessee offense was hot to start, was a passing clinic
Uros Plavsic scored in the post, then Tyreke Key hit a 3-pointer on Tennessee's second possession. Vescovi hit one on UT's third. Then he hit another and the Vols got off to a scalding start.
The Vols were 9-for-14 on 3-pointers and 17-for-27 shooting in the first half. UT averaged 7.8 3-pointers per game entering Tuesday. Five players made a first-half three, led by Vescovi's four and the Vols finished with 12 3-pointers.
Tennessee, one of the nation's best passing teams, was at it again against the Bulldogs. Led by Zeigler, Tennessee had 28 assists on 35 field goals. UT ranked in the top-20 nationally with 17.1 assists per game through 13 games.
Julian Phillips was dynamic in multiple facets
Julian Phillips dashed in for an offensive rebound early in the second half, flipping a putback in. The freshman bellowed toward the UT bench after making a perfect play. He had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Phillips flashed some of his most consistent play of late, especially with his tenacity defensively and rebounding — the areas Rick Barnes has stressed with the talented forward.
Up next
Tennessee is back on the road at South Carolina on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball routs Mississippi State, Josiah-Jordan James returns
