Dalton Knecht goes off again, has 39 in Volunteers win
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Dalton Knecht makes two 3-pointers at the end of the half to give Tennessee a 12-point lead over Florida. (0:45)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Dalton Knecht scored a career-high 39 points and had eight rebounds to lead No. 6 Tennessee past Florida 85-66 on Tuesday.
Jonas Aidoo had 19 points and a team-high 10 rebounds to help the Volunteers (13-4, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) win their 12th straight at home.
“Anytime Jonas is aggressive and locked in, he’s a major factor,” said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. “The guys are starting to understand each other where they need the ball.”
Knecht averaged 32 points in two games last week as he captured SEC Co-Player of the Week honors. He’s the first SEC player with 75 points in a 2-game span since Jodie Meeks for Kentucky in Jan. 2009, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Meeks had a 54-point game in that span.
“I’m just playing with confidence,” Knecht said. “It’s a lot easier with my teammates. It’s a lot of hard work. My teammates make it super easy.”
Knecht shot 13 of 23 overall including 4 of 6 on 3-pointers and made all nine of his free throws.
“He’s been doing that to everybody,” said Florida coach Todd Golden. “He did a lot in transition and broken plays. We weren’t good enough to protect the rim.”
The Gators (11-6, 1-3), who haven’t won in Knoxville since 2014, were led by Walter Clayton Jr. with 16 points and Riley Kugel with 12. Tyrese Samuel had 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds and Zyon Pullin scored 11.
“I thought we got our opportunities at the rim,” Golden said. “We didn’t match their physicality. (The Vols) play with an edge at home.”
Florida was limited to 29% shooting from the field (20 of 68).
“They’re an outstanding offensive team,” Barnes said of the Gators. “They’re one of the fastest teams in the country. When you hold a team to 29%, you’re doing a good job.”
Knecht hit 9 of 10 field goals — including three 3-pointers — and scored 22 points in the first half as Tennessee jumped to a 44-32 halftime lead. A 12-3 run midway through the half gave the Vols some breathing room. Kugel had 10 to lead the Gators in the half.
“We’re just feeding off the crowd,” said Knecht. “It starts with our defense: Make a stop and score.”
Florida could not make up the deficit.
“You don’t want to fall behind against this team,” Golden said. “They’re very disciplined. They’re not going to make mistakes.”
The game started two hours early because of dangerous weather conditions.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.