Braves Bested by No. 13 Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Squaring off with one of the top teams in the nation, it wasn't the Alcorn Braves' night inside a Thompson-Boling Arena brimming with 16,481 Tennessee fans. The Braves (3-6) were outpaced by the 13th-ranked Volunteers (7-1) in Sunday's 94-40 road loss.
 
Playing in front of Alcorn's biggest opposing crowd to date this season, the Braves were quick to respond to Tennessee knocking down a three on its first possession, as Ladarius Marshall scooped a steal and Dominic Brewton finished with a layup on the other end. After the Vols pulled ahead 7-2, Trevin Wade nailed a 15-footer on the other end to keep it to a single-possession game.
 
With the Vols ranking as one of the most efficient defenses in the nation, UT started putting a vice on the Alcorn offense and launched an 11-0 run that saw the Braves scoreless for over five minutes until Darryl Jordan put away a pair of free throws at 11:24. Two minutes later, Mike Pajeud found Devin Carter for a layup to make the deficit 12, but again Tennessee jumped into offensive action with a 6-0 run.
 
Pajeud pulled up at the free throw line to snap the mini-run and Jordan's layup notched back-to-back scoring possessions. However, despite all-around quality free throw shooting and Brewton's offensive contributions down the stretch, the Vols outscored Alcorn 18-10 across the final seven minutes of the half for a 49-22 margin at the break.
 
In the opening frame, Alcorn was a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line and Brewton led all scorers with eight.
 
Tennessee carried that all-around momentum into the second half went right to work with a 16-3 scoring run over the first seven minutes of the half. Helped along by a 44-23 rebounding margin and 27 assists on the night, the Vols dictated the pace all the way to a 94-40 win.
 
On the night, Tennessee shot 52.4 percent and put away eight three pointers, counter to Alcorn's 27.1 percent shooting and 1-for-16 from the perimeter.
 
Tonight marked Tennessee's second consecutive game holding opponents to 40 points, and their sixth game this season limiting the opposition to 50 or less on the scoreboard – a field that includes then-No. 3 Kansas. UT entered the game ranking eighth nationally in field goal percentage defense and sixth nationally in scoring defense – holding up to expectations against the Braves.
 
Moving beyond free throw challenges this season, Alcorn put away 13-of-16 (81.3 percent) against the Vols, led by a 4-for-4 effort from Jordan. He was also a perfect 2-for-2 from the field, shooting 100 percent to log a season-high eight points and grabbing four rebounds. Brewton led all Alcorn scorers with 10 points for his seventh double-figure game of the year. McQuarter and Devin Carter also added in seven points apiece.
 
Closing up a long series of trips, the Braves catch a little downtime, but head back out next week for their 10th game in Carbondale at Southern Illinois on the Saturday, Dec. 10. The first opportunity to catch the Braves in the Davey L. Whitney Complex is Jan. 2 in the SWAC opener vs. Jackson State.

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