National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Tennessee 60, Connecticut 57
When: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 21, 2012
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Officials: # Karl Hess, # Jamie Luckie, # Michael Stephens
Attendance: 21114

Freshman Jarnell Stokes recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds in his first-career start and host Tennessee ended a three-game losing streak with a 60-57 upset of No. 11 Connecticut on Saturday.

Cameron Tatum added 15 points for Tennessee (9-10), whose bench outscored the shorthanded Huskies’ subs 15-0. The Volunteers picked up their first win since beating then-No. 13 Florida at Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 12.

Jeremy Lamb scored 23 points and Shabazz Napier added 18 for UConn (14-5). The Huskies have lost two straight and four of six. They sorely miss freshman point guard Ryan Boatright, who sat out a third straight game while the NCAA investigates his eligibility for a second time.

While the Huskies struggled without Boatright, Tennessee got a huge lift from its star freshman. Stokes, who enrolled this month after graduating from high school early, scored six points on an 11-4 run that gave the Volunteers an eight-point lead with just under seven minutes left.

The lead grew to 10 points with under three minutes to play, but the Volunteers were forced to fight off a furious rally. Napier’s 3-pointer with seven seconds left cut the lead to 59-57. Tatum then split a pair of free throws, and Tennessee hung on when Napier’s half-court heave at the buzzer hit off the backboard.

UConn took a slim 27-25 lead into halftime, but Tennessee opened the second half on a 9-0 and led the rest of the way.
Top Game Performances
 
Connecticut   Tennessee
Jeremy Lamb 23 Scoring Jarnell Stokes 16
Shabazz Napier 4 Assists Trae Golden 6
Andre Drummond 9 Rebounds Jarnell Stokes 12
Jeremy Lamb 5 Free Throws Made Jarnell Stokes 4
Shabazz Napier 2 Steals Trae Golden 3
Andre Drummond 1 Blocks Jarnell Stokes 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Connecticut 57 36.4 6-18 11-17 8 36 3 5 10
Tennessee 60 42.3 6-18 10-21 11 33 2 6 10