KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Victor Bailey had 13 points and No. 10 Tennessee put its stifling defense on full display Tuesday night in a 79-38 victory over Appalachian State.
The Volunteers held Appalachian State scoreless for the first 6:22 while jumping out to a 13-0 lead. The margin was 36-8 before the Mountaineers scored the last five points of the first half.
Tennessee came into the game holding opponents to 26% shooting from the field. Appalachian State managed 28%.
John Fulkerson and Jaden Springer each had 12 points for Tennessee (3-0), which started fast and didn’t slow down. Josiah-Jordan James scored 11.
Appalachian State (4-2) was led by Michael Almonacy with nine points.
Fulkerson had eight points in the first 20 minutes. Almonacy paced the Mountaineers with six.
BIG PICTURE
Appalachian State: A Sun Belt Conference team led by a sophomore (Adrian Delph) and two freshmen (Kendall Lewis and Donovan Gregory), App State was focused on playing with the physicality it takes to compete with a Southeastern Conference power.
Tennessee: Between now and Dec. 30, when their SEC schedule opens with a trip to Missouri, the Vols have to become a strong rebounding team. They lost the battle of the boards against Colorado, then dominated Cincinnati by 10. Developing consistency is a key.
UP NEXT
Appalachian State: In preparation for the Sun Belt schedule, which features back-to-back dates with the same opponent, the Mountaineers will face Greensboro College on Thursday and Columbia International on Friday.
Tennessee: When the Vols' home football game with Texas A&M was scheduled for Saturday, the basketball game against Tennessee Tech was moved from Saturday to Friday.
___
More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25