By Abby Doperak
Ja’Kobi Gillespie continued to set the tone for Tennessee as the No. 23 Volunteers defeated South Carolina 78-59 on Tuesday night.
Tennessee traveled to Columbia following a 71-69 loss to Alabama on Saturday in Knoxville. Gillespie led the Volunteers with 26 points in that game, while Felix Okpara and Jalen Carey each grabbed nine rebounds against the Crimson Tide.
“I feel like Ja’Kobi is the engine of this team,” Tennessee guard Ethan Burg said. “He is the head of the snake. He has to make most the decisions and, most of the time, guard – if Bishop isn’t assigned – the best player.”
The unranked Gamecocks entered the matchup coming off an 87-68 loss to Georgia on Saturday. South Carolina’s Meechie Johnson Jr. scored 20 points against the Bulldogs, while Mike Sharavjmats added seven rebounds.
Tennessee opened the game on a 6-0 run in the first three minutes and never relinquished the lead. The Volunteers extended their advantage to double digits multiple times in the first half and took a 40-28 lead into halftime.
Tennessee maintained control throughout the second half, preventing the Gamecocks from threatening. The Volunteers led by at least 10 points during the final 10 minutes and secured the 78-59 victory.
The Volunteers played without Nate Ament, who exited the Alabama game with an injury. In his absence, others stepped up.
J.P. Estrella led Tennessee with 22 points, while Okpara added 20 points and eight rebounds.
“I am more of a defensive guy,” Okpara said. “If I score, it really doesn’t matter to me. I’m more about getting rebounds, blocks, and stops. But J.P. is a good scoring option down low that we can rely on.”
Gillespie and Burg each scored eight points. Amari Evans added seven, Bishop Boswell has six, Carey finished with five, and DeWayne Brown II scored two.
Despite the balanced scoring effort, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes praised Gillespie’s performance.
“I thought the game was played slow for him tonight, which is really when he is at his best,” Barnes said. “He was able to get where he needed to go and made some terrific passes.”
Tennessee returns to Knoxville to face No. 24 Vanderbilt on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET.