Zeigler Scores 22 To Rally No. 5 Tennessee Over Vanderbilt 81-76

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Zakai Zeigler scored 22 points, all in the second half, and No. 5 Tennessee rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit to beat Vanderbilt Saturday, 81-76.

Chaz Lanieradded 21, for the Volunteers (21-5, 8-5 Southeastern Conference).

Jason Edwards led the Commodores (17-8, 5-7) with 24 points. Jaylen Carey came off the bench to score 18 before fouling out with 4:13 left in the game.

Edwards and Carey had 10 points each as Vanderbilt jumped to a 44-31 lead at halftime. The Commodores were prolific down low. They held an advantage in points in the paint (20-12).

Takeaways

Vanderbilt: Jaylen Carey has evolved into a force off the bench for the Commodores. He has scored in double figures in five of the last eight games and has proven to be productive as a rebounder. Carey was instrumental in igniting the Vanderbilt offense early against Tennessee.

Tennessee: Last year, Dalton Knecht was good enough to help the Vols through the games in which shots weren’t falling. The 2022-23 and this season have been more challenging. Even though its defense is considered among the best in the country, Tennessee hasn’t found a consistent answer to a sluggish offense — which has resulted in occasional losses.

Key moment