Josiah-Jordan James' career game leads Tennessee basketball to win vs NC State
Josiah-Jordan James strutted around the paint under the hoop at Frost Bank Center on Saturday, looking a lot like an NBA player in the NBA arena.
The Tennessee basketball senior had canned another NBA 3-pointer, this one the deepest and the most important yet. It was his fifth to set a career high and the Vols led by eight, blasting open a tight game behind the veteran guard.
James hovered at the other end of the court, relishing his critical plays in crunch time to power Tennessee to a 79-70 win against North Carolina State in San Antonio, Texas.
James had 23 points to match his career high for No. 10 Tennessee (8-3) with seven rebounds. He was 5-for-7 on 3-pointers. Zakai Zeigler had a season-high 20 points and eight assists against NC State (7-3). Zeigler was 4-for-8 on 3-pointers.
LOOKBACK: Josiah-Jordan James is a fifth-year five-star. The Tennessee basketball guard is fine with that.
Tennessee's experienced guards got it done in stretches
Dalton Knecht had his lowest-scoring game with the Vols, but Tennessee's group of experienced guards stepped up throughout. The transfer had two points on 1-for-7 shooting in 19 minutes.
James was a steady scorer, knocking down 3-pointers throughout. Santiago Vescovi had a slow start, but scored the first seven points of the second half to get rolling. Zeigler was outstanding throughout, controlling the court on both ends. Jahmai Mashack did his usual work, filling the statsheet with timely plays. He had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists.
James keyed a flurry of 3-pointers in the first half, hitting Mashack for one, making one, then setting up Zeigler for one.
Josiah-Jordan James made the big plays in the big moments
James picked up his fourth foul with 3:45 to play, then spent the final stretch dominating.
He slashed down the paint and drew a foul, making both free throws to extend the lead to 69-65. He hustled for an offensive rebound that led to a Zeigler 3-pointer for a 72-65 lead. Then he buried a 3-pointer for a 75-67 lead and Tennessee had the game wrapped up.
D.J. Burns fueled NC State's second-half comeback
D.J. Burns struggled early against Tennessee's interior defense, but he was the force that drove the Wolfpack on a quick run in the second half. He got NC State within one in the second half with a floater after UT led by 11.
Burns, who redshirted at UT in the 2018-19 season, finished with 15 points and five rebounds.
Vols forward Jonas Aidoo battled an illness Friday that caused him to miss practice. He started for Tennessee. Tobe Awaka came off the bench to have 12 rebounds in 18 minutes.
Up next
Tennessee hosts Tarleton State on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network) in its penultimate nonconference game.
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: Tennessee basketball holds off NC State behind Josiah-Jordan James
