Kentucky Wildcats vs Tennessee Volunteers Match Player Stats On Feb 20, 2021

An early run for Kentucky gave the Wildcats a big lead, and the visitors rolled to a 70-55 win over No. 19 Tennessee on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Wildcats got their third straight win and first win over a Top 25 opponent this season after five previous losses.

Isaiah Jackson led the way with 16 points, and Davion Mintz scored all 15 of his points in the first half for Kentucky (8-13, 7-7 in SEC), which got a team-high 14 rebounds from Keion Brooks Jr.

Victor Bailey Jr. led Tennessee (15-6, 8-6) with 18 points and Keon Johnson added 15. The Volunteers shot 18-for-56 (32.1 percent) from the field for the game.

Kentucky shot 23-for-57 (40.4 percent) from the field, including 7-for-14 from beyond the arc. They also went 17-for-20 from the free-throw line.

The Wildcats did almost anything they wanted to do offensively in the first half, shooting 60.7 percent (17-for-28) en route to a 45-30 halftime lead. Mintz made all five of his 3-point attempts in the first half, and Jackson added 13 points with two blocked shots.

Kentucky's 15-0 run, which was highlighted by a Jacob Toppin dunk off an inbound pass, gave it control early, as the Wildcats went ahead 23-10 with 10:14 to play in the opening half.

The Wildcats' interior defense also was a factor, often changing shots or forcing the Volunteers to take perimeter shots.

Yves Pons' two-handed dunk pulled the Volunteers to 61-44 with 8:09 left, but they couldn't get within striking distance in the second half, during which the Wildcats went more than eight minutes without a field goal.

When Devin Askew hit a 3-pointer with 4:14 to play to end the drought, Kentucky went ahead 66-46.

The Wildcats led by as many as 21 before Tennessee scored the game's last six points.

--Field Level Media