Dec 22, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Vols guard Josh Richardson (1) brings the ball up court against the Mercer Bears during the game at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
It was an ugly start for both Tennessee and Mercer to begin the game in Thompson-Boling Arena tonight, as the Vols led 27-15 at the half despite turning the ball over 10 times and committing 8 fouls.
The Vols picked up some momentum before the half, however, and they used that to grab a 12 point lead going into halftime.
The second half started just as slowly for the Vols, as Mercer cut the lead at one point to 43-39. But Devon Baulkman sparked the Vols with a career performance, and Tennessee roared to a commanding lead late in the 2nd half and went on to win 64-54.
Devon Baulkman finally looks recovered from a shoulder injury that plagued him to start the season, and he certainly looked healthy tonight, scoring a career-high 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 4 three-pointers. He also chipped in 6 rebounds, good for second on the team for the night.
Mercer’s Ike Nwamu led all scorers with 30 points on 9-of-18 shooting and 6 three’s. No other player on Mercer’s roster scored over 7 points, and only one bench player scored for the Bears.
Josh Richardson put up 11 points and 6 assists for the Vols, and Robert Hubbs and Willie Carmichael contributed as well,with Hubbs chipping in 9 points and Carmichael adding 8.
Detrick Mostella got his first career start tonight for the Vols, but he failed to score a point, bringing down 4 rebounds and dishing an assist.
Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman earned a technical foul in the 1st half protesting a foul call, and Tennessee’s Josh Richardson got one in the 2nd half as well after allegedly tapping the backboard after a dunk. Mercer drew plenty of fouls and shot 26 free throws compared to Tennessee’s 18, with most of those coming late in the game.
The win improves the Vols to 6-4 on the season with two more home games against Tennessee State and ETSU remaining before the beginning of the SEC conference schedule.