No. 12 Tennessee holds off N.C. State in Hall of Fame Series for 4th straight win

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Josiah-Jordan James had 23 points, Zakai Zeigler added 20 and No. 12 Tennessee held off N.C. State 79-70 in the Hall of Fame Series on Saturday night.

The Volunteers (8-3) held the Wolfpack to 10 points in the final seven minutes to secure the victory, including a 3-pointer with 24.1 seconds remaining.

Jahmai Mashack added 11 points for Tennessee, which has won four straight.

D.J. Horne had 16 points for N.C. State (7-3). D.J. Burns Jr. added 15 and Jayden Taylor had 11.

It was a frenetic and physical contest, with the teams combining for 22 turnovers and 36 personal fouls.

Tennessee has not lost since dropping three straight, including losses against then-No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Purdue in the Maui Invitational during Thanksgiving week.

N.C. State opened 3 for 4 on 3-pointers in taking a 15-11 lead. The Wolfpack were 2 for 7 on 3s the remainder of the first half.

Volunteers guard Santiago Vescovi opened the second half with his own 7-2 run to put Tennessee up 41-33. After its lead was cut to 56-55, Vescovi cut to the rim for a layup with 8:25 remaining.

BIG PICTURE

Tennessee: The Volunteers were tested after winning their last three games by an average of 15.3 points.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack were 8 for 18 on 3-pointers after a fast start.

UP NEXT

Tennessee: Host Tarleton State on Thursday night.

N.C. State: Host Saint Louis on Wednesday night.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball