Sports
Tennessee basketball blasts Lithuania to complete sweep in Italy – Knoxville News Sentinel
FLORENCE, Italy − Santiago Vescovi bolted down the court in the final seconds of the third quarter Saturday.
Freddie Dilione matched the pace, dribbling quickly up the court and connecting with the Vescovi for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Tennessee basketball led by 29 and didn’t slow down in its second exhibition against the Lithuanian U21 national team.
The Vols won 116-90 at Palacoverciano, burying a bounty of 3-pointers in the high-scoring victory. UT won 97-57 in its first game Friday.
Vescovi had 19 points with five 3-pointers capped by the buzzer-beater. Dalton Knecht also had 19. Dilione had 10 assists and 10 points.
The Vols travel to Rome on Sunday before playing Stella Azzurra on Monday (1:30 p.m. ET) in the final game of the international tour.
Jordan Gainey got Tennessee’s 3-point shooting started midway through the first quarter. The Vols clicked on 3s nicely, knocking down 8-for-15 in the first half.
[ Mike Wilson, who covers Tennessee men’s basketball for Knox News, is the only media member traveling with the Vols during their trip to Italy. Follow his daily coverage at knoxnews.com and in the News Sentinel. ]
Gainey, who made four Friday, had a pair. Josiah-Jordan James got going in the second half, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers. Vescovi made one before James’ two, then hit back-to-back 3s to close the half.
Knecht made four 3-pointers for the second straight game.
Knecht scored 11 straight points in the fourth quarter, starting with the consecutive 3-pointers. He followed with a free throw, a layup through contact, and a midrange floater.
The Northern Colorado transfer forced a handful of turnovers, including blocking three shots in the first half. He got his first field goal after blocking a shot and running for a two-handed transition dunk. He had a steal on help defense early in the third quarter.
Jonas Aidoo struggled to finish around the rim Friday but responded with a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) Saturday.
The junior forward was effective early, with eight first-half rebounds.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it
