Milicic scores 18 points as No. 11 Tennessee beats Montana 92-57
Tennessee forward Igor Milicic Jr. (7) goes for a shot between Montana guard Joe Pridgen (11) and forward Te'Jon Sawyer (32) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Knoxville, Tenn. Credit: AP/Wade Payne
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Igor Milicic Jr. had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and No. 11 Tennessee beat Montana 92-57 on Wednesday night.
Chaz Lanier, Felix Okpara and Cameron Carr each scored 13 points for the Volunteers (3-0). Zakai Zeigler had 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
The 6-foot-10 Milicic also had two steals and made two 3-pointers.
Money Williams led Montana (2-2) with 30 points.
Takeaways
Montana: Six of the Grizzlies’ nine-man rotation are playing at Montana for the first time. That leaves for a pretty steep learning curve so early in the season, especially against the No. 11 team in the country.
Tennessee: A week ago, Gardner-Webb scored 64 points in a loss to Tennessee. More than half (34) of those points came in the paint. That was a concern for Vols coach Rick Barnes. With an emphasis on defense down low, Tennessee allowed just 10 against Louisville but had a bit of a regression against Montana (22).
Key moment
A 13-2 run to start the second half allowed Tennessee to turn a nine-point halftime lead into an 18-point advantage that gave the Vols some breathing room. Chaz Lanier had eight of those points.
Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack (15) shoots over Montana guard Austin Patterson (20) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Knoxville, Tenn. Credit: AP/Wade Payne
Key stat
Tennessee committed nine turnovers in the first half. The Vols had just one in the first 14 minutes of the second half and stretched the lead to 23.
Up next
Montana will play at Utah State on Monday, and Tennessee will take on Austin Peay on Sunday.
