Lofton Lifts Tennessee With Big Second Half

No. 4 Volunteers stave off pesky Georgia for seventh straight win
By Mitch Pritchard,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 17, 2008 7:49 AM CST
Lofton Lifts Tennessee With Big Second Half
Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl yells to his players in the second half of a basketball game against Georgia in Athens, Ga., Saturday Feb. 16, 2008. Tennessee won 74-71. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)   (Associated Press)

When Georgia took a lead early in the second half yesterday, Chris Lofton knew it was time to take control for Tennessee. Lofton scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half, allowing the Volunteers to escape with a 74-71 SEC win, the AP reports. Lofton hit only one 3-pointer in the first half—but nailed three in the second to raise his SEC record total to 398.

The Volunteers (23-2, 10-1) have won seven straight. The Bulldogs led 51-48 early in the second half, but Tennessee scored 10 straight points to take the lead for good. Wayne Chism had 16 points and Tyler Smith added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Volunteers. JaJuan Smith, coming off a 32-point effort against Arkansas, could manage only two points. (More NCAA stories.)

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