Tennessee basketball ’s fifth and final game of a five-game homestand to open the season went about the same as the first four.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament scored in bunches and the Vols won.
The No. 17 Vols (5-0) will head into the grind of their nonconference schedule unbeaten after dropping Tennessee State (2-3) 89-60 on Nov. 20.
Advertisement
Gillespie had 17 points and Ament had 15 although neither was overly efficient shooting the ball. Amaree Abram scored a season-high 15, hitting three 3-pointers in the first three minutes. DeWayne Brown II had a career-high 13 points with 11 in the second half. Felix Okpara had 11 points and eight rebounds.
Tennessee likely plays the next six games against power-conference opponents, starting with Rutgers in Las Vegas in the Players Era Festival on Nov. 24 (1 p.m. ET, TNT/HBO Max). It plays Houston on Nov. 25 in the tournament before a third game on either Nov. 26 or 27.
UT plays at Syracuse on Dec. 2, faces Illinois in Nashville on Dec. 6 and host Louisville on Dec. 16 in its three games after the Las Vegas tournament.
J.P. Estrella and Bishop Boswell did not play. Estrella has a bone bruise on his left knee, which he suffered against Rice on Nov. 17. Boswell missed his third straight game. It was his second game sidelined with a left leg injury.
Advertisement
Tennessee basketball vs. Tennessee State: Live score updates
Nate Ament got his 3-point shot going
Nate Ament was shooting 22.2% from three in his first four games, but opened 2-for-3 against TSU after making his second early in the second half.
Tennessee led 43-21 at halftime
Ja’Kobi Gillespie had 10 points and Amaree Abram had nine as Tennessee took a 43-21 halftime lead.
Tennessee State’s turnovers problems helped Tennessee
Tennessee State had 10 turnovers in the first 12:26, leading to 11 Vols points. UT took a 26-6 lead at the under-8 media timeout.
Tennessee took a 21-4 lead at the second media timeout
The Vols held Tennessee State to 2-for-11 shooting with four turnovers in the first 8:11 before the second media timeout.
Advertisement
Ja’Kobi Gillespie filled up the stat sheet early
Ja’Kobi Gillespie had four points, three assists and three rebounds in the first six minutes.
Amaree Abram hit three 3-pointers in the first three minutes
Amaree Abram made his second straight start and was rolling. He made three 3-pointers in the first three minutes as Tennessee took a 13-2 lead.
When does Tennessee basketball vs. Tennessee State start?
-
Where: Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee
What TV channel is Tennessee vs. Tennessee State on today?
Tennessee basketball 2025-26 schedule, TV times
-
Nov. 3: Tennessee 76, Mercer 61
-
Nov. 8: Tennessee 95, Northern Kentucky 56
-
Nov. 12: Tennessee 99, North Florida 66
-
Nov. 17: Tennessee 91, Rice 66
-
Nov. 20: Tennessee State (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
-
Nov. 24: Rutgers in Las Vegas (1 p.m. ET, TNT/HBO Max)
-
Nov. 25: Houston in Las Vegas (6 p.m. ET, TNT/HBO Max)
-
Nov. 26/Nov. 27: TBD in Las Vegas (TBD, TBD)
-
Dec. 2: at Syracuse (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
-
Dec. 6: Illinois in Nashville (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)
-
Dec. 16: Louisville (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
-
Dec. 21: Gardner-Webb (3 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
-
Dec. 30: South Carolina State (8 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
-
Jan. 3: at Arkansas (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
-
Jan. 6: Texas (9 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
-
Jan. 10: at Florida (noon ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
-
Jan. 13: Texas A&M (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
-
Jan 17: Kentucky (noon ET, ESPN)
-
Jan. 24: at Alabama (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
-
Jan. 27: at Georgia (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
-
Jan. 31: Auburn (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
-
Feb. 3: Ole Miss (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
-
Feb 7: at Kentucky (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
-
Feb. 11: at Mississippi State (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPNU)
-
Feb 14: LSU (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
-
Feb. 18: Oklahoma (7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU)
-
Feb 21: at Vanderbilt (2/2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
-
Feb. 24: at Missouri (9 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
-
Feb. 28: Alabama (6/6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
-
March 3: at South Carolina (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
-
March 7: Vanderbilt (2 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU)
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
Advertisement
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball vs Tennessee State score, Vols cruise to win
