For the second time this week, the Tennessee Volunteers have dropped a non-conference game to a mid-major team. On Monday, it was Oakland doing the damage, beating the Volunteers in Knoxville, 89-82. Friday night, Tennessee traveled to North Carolina to face the Charlotte 49ers, looking to get back on track. Instead, the 49ers finished strong, handing Tennessee its second loss in four days, 49-48.
No. 7 Tennessee Vs. Charlotte: Bruce Pearl’s Volunteers Fall For Second Straight Time, 49-48
Tennesee had its chances, the biggest of which came with the Vols up by one with 20 seconds left. With a chance to ice the game at the free throw line, Melvin Goins missed the front-end of a one-and-one, giving Charlotte one last shot at the upset. The 49ers took advantage as Phil Jones drove the lane and hit a layup for the go-ahead bucket. Cameron Tatum's three-pointer with time running out was off the mark, giving the 49ers the upset win and capping an abysmal week for Tennessee.
Shooting was an issue for both teams, but Tennessee suffered the most. The Vols shot 34.9 percent from the field and 11.7 percent from three. It wasn't any better from the line as Tennessee finished 2-7, or 11.8 percent, from the charity stripe. Scotty Hopson and Tobias Harris accounted for half of the Volunteers' offense, scoring 13 and 12 points respectively. Harris also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
Charlotte shot a worse percentage from the field, converting just 30.2 percent of its field goals. The 49ers, however, shot 92.3 percent from the line, hitting 12 of 13 free throws while also faring marginally better from three-point range, hitting 5-19 threes for the game. Jamar Briscoe led the Charlotte scorers with 14 points, followed closely by Derio Green’s 13 points. Javariss Bennett added team-high eight rebounds.
The loss drops Tennessee to 7-2 on the year, ending a disappointing week for Bruce Pearl's Vols. Charlotte improved to 5-6 on the season. Tennessee gets four days to regroup before hosting the USC Trojans on Dec. 21. Charlotte hosts Wright State on Dec. 22.
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