Dalton Knecht faced down two Missouri defenders as soon as he crossed halfcourt.
That stopped the Tennessee basketball guard from scoring briefly, but it didn’t stop the Vols. Knecht jumped and chucked a two-handed dart to Tobe Awaka for a tough layup.
The Vols finally had their footing with an eight-point lead against last-place Missouri after a worrisome stretch. Knecht erupted, Awaka asserted himself and No. 5 Tennessee staved off disaster at upset-focused Missouri, winning 72-67 at Mizzou Arena on Tuesday.
Knecht had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Vols (20-6, 10-3 SEC) against the last-place Tigers (8-18, 0-13). Awaka had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Dalton Knecht turned it on after a slow start
Knecht missed a corner 3-pointer off the corner of the backboard midway through the second. He was 0-for-8 shooting at that point and had two points on a pair of first-half free throws. Then he did that thing he has done so many times this season and carried Tennessee in a critical moment. He made a jumper at 13:18 for his first field goal. He made a 3-pointer and then it was on.
Knecht made four field goals from 10:16 to 8:23, including two 3-pointers. He had 15 second-half points.
It was a familiar scene for Knecht, who lit up second halves in UT’s comeback wins at Georgia and Vanderbilt.
Jonas Aidoo, Tobe Awaka made big plays for Tennessee
Awaka was the best player for UT in the first half. He kept it up in the second half, but was joined by Jonas Aidoo as Vols coach Rick Barnes used the two-big lineup for stretches in the second half.
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Awaka, who averages 4.6 points and 4.5 rebounds, had eight points and six rebounds in the first half. He obliterated his previous career high of 11 points by tallying 18.
Aidoo made two of the first three UT field goals in the second half. He had two putbacks, one tying the game 46-46 and the other giving UT a 49-48 lead. Aidoo had four blocks.
Tennessee had another slow start on the road
Tennessee did not make a field goal until Jordan Gainey picked up a loose ball and ran free for a layup at the 15:31 mark of the first half. The score put UT ahead 2-1. It didn’t make another field goal until Jahmai Mashack hit a jumper at the 11:52 mark.
The Vols had another slow start on the road with a sluggish offensive performance. UT did not make a first-half 3-pointer, missing all nine attempts. It shot 30% from the field and only Awaka had more than four points.
Up next
Tennessee hosts Texas A&M on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Vols lost 85-69 in College Station, Texas, on Feb. 10.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
First appeared on www.knoxnews.com