November 27, 2007

Associated Press
Rivals.com College Basketball

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ? Chris Lofton scored 18 of his season-high 24 points in the first half and No. 11 Tennessee rebounded from its first loss with a 93-59 victory over North Carolina A&T on Tuesday night.

Tyler Smith had 17 points, Ramar Smith scored 11 and Josh Tabb added 10 for the Volunteers (6-1), who were coming off a 97-78 loss to then-No. 15 Texas in the championship game of the StubHub Legends Classic on Saturday. Lofton scored all his points on 3-pointers.

Jason Wills had 12 points for the Aggies (4-3), who had won their last four games, including a 96-93 road upset of DePaul on Saturday.

Lofton, who finished 8-of-21 from the floor and 8-of-20 on 3s, scored 20 points for the first time this season after averaging 20.7 points per game a year ago. The senior guard shot only 6-of-28 in his first three games but had averaged 18 points in the three games since.

Tennessee, which shot below 40 percent last weekend against West Virginia and Texas, came out cold against the Aggies, connecting on four of its first 19 shots and one of its first 13 3-point attempts.

The Vols trailed 11-10 until Lofton made six 3-pointers in a span of 3:42 during a 25-4 run that gave them a 35-15 lead. A 10-2 run just before halftime stretched the lead to 30.

For more coverage of Tennessee, visit VolQuest.com.