Chaz Lanier, Jordan Gainey lead No. 12 Tennessee past Gardner-Webb to open season, 80-64

Tennessee Basketball will be shorthanded all season, with only 11 scholarship players on roster, out of a possible 13. The Vols were even more limited Monday night in their season opener against Gardner-Webb, with transfer Darlinstone Dubar and freshman Bishop Boswell out.

Still, No. 12 Tennessee took care of business, beating the visiting Bulldogs 80-64 at Food City Center to start the new season. 

The Vols (1-0) were led by Chaz Lanier’s 18 points. Jordan Gainey scored 16 and Zakai Zeigler had 13 points and seven assists. Lanier, who shot 3-for-16 from the floor and 2-for-12 from the 3-point line in the 66-62 exhibition loss to Indiana last week, went 7-for-12 from the field and 4-for-6 from three against Gardner-Webb.

Gardner-Webb (0-1) got 22 from Darryl Simmons II and 13 from both Anthony Selden and Jamaine Mann.

Gainey was 7-for-9 from the floor and 2-for-3 from three. Seven of Zeigler’s nine assists came in the first half. He went 7-for-7 from the foul line. Felix Okpara had a team-high nine rebounds and Igor Milcic had eight points and four boards.

Dubar was out due to a personal matter and Boswell is in concussion protocol. Tennessee never trailed in the game and built the lead to as much as 24 points in the second half.

Chaz Lanier led Vols in first half with 11 points, 3-5 3FG

Lanier led Tennessee with 11 points in the first half, with the Vols up 44-32 at halftime. The North Florida transfer guard went 4-for-7 from the field, including 3-for-5 from the 3-point line.

He scored eight straight points over a span one minute, 11 seconds to get Tennessee’s lead to 12 with 7:32 left in the half, forcing a Gardner-Webb timeout. 

Gainey scored 10 points, going 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-3 from the 3-point line in the first half. Zeigler had eight points and seven assists before the break.

The Vols shot 48.4% from the field (15-31) and 35.7% from three (5-14), but got out rebounded 18-15 over the first 20 minutes. 

Up Next: No. 12 Tennessee at Louisville

Tennessee goes on the road next to face Louisville Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville. The game is the start of a two-year home-and-home between the two programs that was announced over the offseason. 

Saturday’s game is a Noon Eastern Time start and will be televised by ACC Network. The Vols next season will host Louisville on December 16, 2025. 

Tennessee will be back home against Montana next Wednesday in a 7 p.m. ET start on SEC Network+ at Food City Center. Austin Peay comes to Knoxville on November 17, before the Vols face Virginia in the Baha Mar Championship in the Bahamas on November 21.

Tennessee will face either No. 8 Baylor or St. John’s on November 22, in the second game in The Bahamas. 

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