Tennessee basketball was 'more connected' in 116-90 win over Lithuania U21
The box score didn’t necessarily look better, but junior guard Jordan Gainey thought he and his Tennessee teammates felt better on the floor Saturday while facing the Lithuania U21 national team for a second straight day.
“Today was more connected, I feel like, both offensively and defensively,” Gainey said after seven Tennessee players scored in double-figures in the 116-90 win.
The Vols won 97-57 in their exhibition debut Friday in Florence and will wrap up the exhibition tour Monday in Rome with a game against A.S. Stella Azzurra, an Italian professional team.
“We played with a lot more confidence (on Saturday),” said Gainey, who for a second straight day finished with 13 points. “We played really together on the defensive end. On offense, we were sharing the ball a lot more. Really having fun out there today.”
Santiago Vescovi and Dalton Knecht scored 19 points each and combined to go 9-for-14 from the 3-point line. Jonas Aidoo had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Tobe Awaka scored 16 points and grabbed nine boards, giving him 23 over the two games against the Lithuanians.
Aidoo had 24 points and 21 rebounds over the two games.
“He was great,” Gainey said of Aidoo, Tennessee’s 6-foot-11, 241-pound junior center. “(He’s) a great rebounder in his area, finishing through contact and just being Jonas.”
Freddie Dilione V’s double-double Saturday: 10 points, 10 assists
Redshirt freshman point guard Freddie Dilione V came off the bench and finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and recording 10 assists in just over 22 minutes. Josiah-Jordan James had 10 points and five boards.
The Vols had 27 assists against nine turnovers on Saturday, after finishing with 25 assists against 14 turnovers on Friday.
Gainey started at point guard and went 4-for-7 from the field, 2-for-5 from the 3-point line and 3-for-3 at the free-throw line. He committed two turnovers while Dilione had three.
“I was pretty comfortable today,” Gainey, a shooting guard at USC Upstate before transferring to Tennessee, said of his point guard duties. “Really just being able to get everyone involved, make sure everyone gets where they’re needed and we’re in the right spots. Just trying to get a great feel of everything going on.”
Up Next: Tennessee vs. A.S. Stella Azzurra, Monday, 1:30 p.m. ET, FloHoops
Vescovi scored just five point on Friday, taking only two shots from the field. On Saturday he scored his 19 points on 6-for-8 shooting, including 5-for-7 from the 3-point line, and never left the bench after the end of the third quarter.
His final shot of the game was a three that banked in as time expired on the third, giving the Vols an 88-59 lead headed to the fourth.
“He was really good,” Gainey said of Vescovi. “Played with a lot of confidence, shot the ball really well. He was just a veteran guy, doing what he does best. Shooting the ball and making sure everyone is getting it.”
