A strong final push and standout second-half showings from Zakai Zeigler and Julian Phillips propelled No. 9 Tennessee to a gritty road win Tuesday night at Mississippi State, 70-59.
Tennessee (15-3, 5-1 SEC) was playing Tuesday without two starters—Santiago Vescovi (injury) and Tyreke Key (illness).
Making his first start since November, Zeigler posted a career-high 24 points—16 of which came in the second half—along with a career-high-tying six rebounds and four assists in a career-high 40 minutes.
In the second half, Zeigler was 5-for-6 from the field, including 4-for-4 from 3-point range. His 16 second-half points were the most by a Vol in any half of any game this season.
Phillips authored his highest-scoring SEC game as a Vol and second-career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, also coming on strong after halftime with 13 second-half points.
Josiah-Jordan James, also making his first start since November, was the third Vol to score in double figures with 13 points and three made 3-pointers.
As a team, Tennessee was 8-for-9 from 3-point range in the second half. Tennessee is back on the road in just four days at LSU on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT on ESPN.
