Tennessee Beats Rutgers 85-60 in Players Era Opener

In Las Vegas, No. 20 Tennessee secured an 85-60 victory over Rutgers on Monday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, kicking off the Players Era tournament with a dominant performance led by JaKobi Gillespie's 32 points.

The Volunteers, now 6-0 on the season, pulled away early and never looked back. Rutgers kept the game close in the opening minutes, trailing by no more than 10 points through the first 12 minutes of the first half. But Tennessee responded with a decisive 17-8 run over the next 2:40, capped by nine points from Nate Ament, to build a 41-22 lead. The Volunteers extended that margin to 56-30 by halftime and pushed it to 30 points late in the second half on a three-pointer by Gillespie with 12:06 remaining, making the score 70-40. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes then cleared the bench with wholesale substitutions to preserve the win.

Gillespie, a key contributor for the Volunteers, shot 11 of 20 from the field, including 6 of 10 from beyond the arc, and added 4 of 5 free throws. He also recorded three rebounds, four assists, one block and two steals. Ament finished with 20 points, while Felix Okpara and J.P. Estrella each scored 10. Okpara and Cade Phillips led Tennessee with...