Tennessee beats Chaminade, finishes seventh at Maui Invitational

After two tough losses to start off the Maui Invitational, Tennessee (2-3) pulled out a win against Chaminade (2-3), 95-81, on Wednesday afternoon.

The Vols did well to maintain their lead in the first and second halves of the game. Tennessee led in both of its previous games in the tournament, but couldn’t hold on for victories until Wednesday. Senior guard Robert Hubbs III led the Vols in points with 28 while junior Detrick Mostella followed him with 14 points. Jordan Bone, who was sidelined in the game against Wisconsin and missed Tennessee’s game against Oregon with a foot injury, was absent in this matchup as well.

The game was competitive in the first half, as both the Vols and the Silverswords traded leads throughout. With 14:25 left on the clock, the game was tied at 16. After two minutes and 24 seconds of competitive play between the two teams, Detrick Mostella broke the scoreless streak with two free throws. Tennessee was able to maintain the lead for the rest of the half and game.

After halftime, the Vols stayed strong and kept their lead against the Silverswords, eventually pulling away for the win. Tennessee had the largest lead of the game in the second half (16 points).

The Vols improved their passing efforts Wednesday, recording 16 assists compared to the 10 they had against No. 16 Wisconsin and nine against No. 13 Oregon. The Vols forced 18 Chaminade turnovers and turned them into 17 points.

Tennessee also out-rebounded the Silverswords, but just barely, 36-35.

Tennessee shot 7 of 17 (41 percent) from three versus Chaminade, who made 9 of its 25 three-point attempts (36 percent). The Vols also out-scored the Silverswords 52-32 in points in the paint. The win gave the Vols a seventh place finish in Maui.

The Vols return home on Saturday, Dec. 3rd, when they be playing host to Georgia Tech at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Edited by Nathan Odom

Featured image by Parker Eidson, courtesy of Tennessee Athletics