KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Chris Lofton made six 3-pointers in
scoring 26 points, and No. 7 Tennessee beat Florida 104-82 on
Tuesday night.
Tyler Smith and JaJuan Smith each had 23 points and Duke Crews
added 10 for the Vols (20-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference), who are
off to their best start in history.
Florida (18-5, 5-3) led by as many as 13 points during the first
half and entered the second with a 48-44 lead. Alex Tyler's layup
with 17:59 to go increased the Gators' lead to 52-46.
Tennessee went ahead after Tyler Smith spun around to hit a
jumper and Lofton followed with a 3 with 16:02 to go.
Tennessee, which normally makes only 64.6 percent of its free
throws, took advantage of the Gators' foul trouble, making 21 of 30
(70 percent) to boost their lead.
The Vols also made 13 from behind the arc, including Lofton's
six and another six from Smith.
Marreese Speights led Florida with 23 points and grabbed nine
rebounds. Dan Werner added 18 points, Nick Calathes had 15 and Jai
Lucas had 10.