Dalton Knecht scorches Florida as Tennessee basketball rolls Gators
Dalton Knecht slammed the ball into the court with two hands Tuesday.
Knecht walked to the Tennessee basketball bench with 38 seconds left to a standing ovation from the crowd that braved winter weather. He leaned his head back and smiled − the emotion surely stemming both from another terrific performance and the almost-had-it of a potential 40-point outing.
Knecht brought his road show back home to Knoxville on Tuesday, where he scorched the Gators in his best performance yet at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. He scored 39 in the 85-66 victory by the Vols, his second straight 30-point game and his third this season.
Knecht added eight rebounds and was 13-for-23 shooting for the No. 7 Vols (13-4, 3-1 SEC). Jonas Aidoo paired perfectly with Knecht, adding 19 points and nine rebounds against Florida (11-6, 1-3).
Dalton Knecht is on a heater for Tennessee basketball
Knecht's 22 first-half points gave him 84 in the past four halves dating back to halftime at Mississippi State. He averaged 42 points per game in that stretch thanks to his 36-point game at Georgia and his 26-point second half at MSU.
The senior transfer from Northern Colorado scored 20 points in the final 7:05 of the first half. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 1:07. He scored 14 straight points in 3:37 as UT took a 17-point lead.
He is the first UT player with back-to-back 35 point games since Allan Houston in 1990, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
He had his first 30-point game with the Vols at UNC on Nov. 29 when he had 37 points.
Jonas Aidoo is a great sidekick for Tennessee basketball guards
Aidoo fell a rebound shy of producing his third double-double in four SEC games and his second in a row. He got off to a strong start, scoring the first four points of the game. He scored the first six after halftime.
Aidoo had 10 points and 15 rebounds at Georgia, rebounding from a rough game at MSU. He had 24 points and 10 rebounds in the SEC opener against Ole Miss. He has produced alongside either Knecht or Zakai Zeigler well, giving UT a nice tandem of a big man and guard.
Florida couldn't crack the Tennessee defense
Florida had a second-half spurt to cut UT's 20-point lead to 10, but that was the lone patch of success for the Gators.
RANKINGS: College basketball rankings: Where Tennessee is ranked after Georgia win
UT stifled the Gators, who made more free throws than field goals. The Vols held Florida to 29.9% shooting and 22.7% shooting on 3-pointers.
Up next
Tennessee hosts Alabama on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Dalton Knecht stays hot for Tennessee basketball in win vs Florida
