KNOXVILLE, Tenn. | The Florida A&M University men's basketball team went nearly nine minutes without a bucket from the field in the first half as No. 21 Tennessee took advantage with a huge run and didn't look back in a 72-43 victory on Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
 
Florida A&M (0-7) took a slim margin to open the game, but Tennessee (7-1) used a 16-1 run and took a 39-18 advantage into the break.
 
Evins Desir paced Florida A&M with 11 points, on 4-of-5 shooting, along with a team-high seven rebounds and one blocked shot. Jamir Williams registered a career-best eight points, including 2-for-2 from behind the 3-point line. MJ Randolph added seven points, two steals, two boards and one block.
 
John Fulkerson finished with 15 points, five rebounds and one steal to lead Tennessee. Yves Pons recorded 14 points, seven boards, two steals and one block, while Olivier Nkamhoua chipped in 11 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds. Lamonte Turner and Josiah-Jordan Jones each posted 10 points.
 
How It Happened
Florida A&M took a slim 3-2 lead after a free throw by MJ Randolph in the opening minutes of the game, but Tennessee used an 16-1 run over the next eight minutes to grab an 18-4 advantage after a dunk by Olivier Nkamhoua with 10:35 remaining in the first half.
 
Florida A&M trimmed the deficit to 24-11 after a bucket by Evins Desir with 7:58 remaining. However, Tennessee pushed the advantage to 31-13 after a Lamonte Turner 3-pointer with 5:24 left in the half.
 
The Vols stretched the lead to 37-16 after a pair of free throws by Turner with just over two minutes remaining in the first half and took a 39-18 advantage into the half.
 
Tennessee extended the lead to 42-18 after a jumper by Josiah-Jordan James with 18:55 remaining, but the Rattlers cut the margin to 42-22 after a layup by Bryce Moragne with 15:59 left.
 
A 3-pointer by Jamir Williams cut the deficit to 44-25 with 14:08 left, but Tennessee proved to be too much and used a 17-7 run over the next six minutes to push the margin to 61-32 after a dunk by John Fulkerson with just over eight minutes remaining.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Florida A&M shot 35.6 percent (16-of-45) from the floor and 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from the charity stripe
> Tennessee was 24-of-55 (43.67percent) from the field and 21-of-28 (75.0 percent) from the foul line
> FAMU registered 25 rebounds, including 20 on the defensive glass
> UT pulled down 43 rebounds, with 27 coming on the defensive end
> The Rattlers finished with 2 points in the paint, 14 bench points, 12 points off 15 UT turnovers, five second-chance points and four fastbreak points
> The Vols recorded 40 points in the paint, 21 points off 20 FAMU turnovers, 22 second-chance points, 20 bench points and six fastbreak points
 
News and Notes
> Wednesday's game marked the first-ever meeting between Florida A&M and Tennessee
> Tennessee came into the game ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25
> Florida A&M has faced two nationally-ranked programs so far this season – #10 Seton Hall and No. 21 Tennessee
> The game against the Vols on Wednesday marked the third against a Power 5 opponent as the Rattlers will also take on Power 5 opponents Washington State (Dec. 19) and Iowa State (Dec. 31)
> The Rattlers are in the midst of a season-opening 13-game road swing
> FAMU's first home game comes on Jan. 11, 2020 against MEAC opponent Morgan State
> Florida A&M has travelled a total of 13,766 miles to begin the season and add another 481 miles when the team returns back to Tallahassee on Thursday
 
Up Next
Florida A&M will travel back to Tallahassee on Thursday morning and will return to action on Dec. 16 at Portland. Tip-off against the Pilots is set for 10 p.m. (eastern time) from the Chiles Center.
 
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