KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Grant Williams had 22 points and 10 rebounds as No. 3 Tennessee trounced Wake Forest 83-64 on Saturday for its sixth consecutive victory.
Kyle Alexander scored a career-high 19 points and had 8 rebounds to help Tennessee (10-1) extend its home winning streak to 15 games. The Volunteers haven’t lost at Thompson-Boling Arena since last season, falling 94-84 to Auburn on Jan. 2.
The Vols improved to 3-0 against Atlantic Coast Conference schools. Tennessee beat Georgia Tech 66-53 on Nov. 13 and defeated Louisville 92-81 on Nov. 21.
Chaundee Brown scored 19 points and Brandon Childress added 14 for Wake Forest (6-4). Jordan Bone had 18 points and Admiral Schofield scored 12 for Tennessee.
Williams had 17 points by halftime. The Southeastern Conference scoring leader showed his knack for making baskets while drawing contact as he converted a trio of three-point plays in the first 14 1/2 minutes of the game.
The game went back and forth for the first 15 minutes before Tennessee closed the first half with a 15-5 run to grab a 42-30 lead. The Vols then opened the second half with a 16-6 spurt to build a 22-point edge.
Tennessee stayed in front by at least 16 the rest of the way and led by as many as 27.
BIG PICTURE
Wake Forest: This game continued a season-long pattern for the Demon Deacons, who have struggled defensively in all their losses. Wake Forest is 6-0 this season when it gives up fewer than 80 points but is 0-4 when it allows more than 80.
Tennessee: The Vols went 32 of 60 from the floor, the third straight game in which they’ve shot over 50 percent. Tennessee shot 51.9 percent (27 of 52) in a 102-92 victory at Memphis and shot a season-high 57.9 percent (33 of 57) in an 83-70 win over Samford. Tennessee was only 3 of 13 from 3-point range but had 42 points in the paint.