KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -Scotty Hopson scored a career-high 20 points as Tennessee cruised to a 79-63 win over Southeastern Conference East rival Florida on Saturday night.
Tennessee (13-7, 4-2) scored the first six points and didn't let up as Florida (18-4, 5-2) remained cold for much of the first half. With 10:22 left before halftime, Emmanuel Negedu hit a layup to give Tennessee a 16-6 lead.
The Volunteers, whose 30.6 percent shooting average behind the arc is one of the worst in the SEC, hit a flurry of 3-pointers to take a 39-22 halftime lead. Six Volunteers combined for eight 3s in the first half, shooting 42 percent.
Florida's Nick Calathes, coming off his second career triple-double, picked up two fouls in the first 3 minutes and sat out 11 minutes of the half. In 9 minutes, he scored six points, grabbed one rebound, had one assist and committed three turnovers.
