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Gillespie scores 17 to lead No. 20 Tennessee over Tennessee State 89-60

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Gillespie scores 17 to lead No. 20 Tennessee over Tennessee State 89-60 | iNFOnews.ca
Tennessee guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie (0) shoots over Tennessee State guard Dante Harris (10) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 20 Tennessee beat Tennessee State 89-60 on Thursday night.

Nate Ament and Amaree Abram each scored 15, DeWayne Brown II had 13 and Felix Okpara scored 11 for the Volunteers (5-0).

Aaron Nkrumah scored 19 to lead the Tigers (2-3). Travis Harper II had 17 and Antoine Lorick added 12.

Gillespie had 10 points and four assists to lead the Vols to a 43-21 halftime lead. Nkrumah, the reigning Ohio Valley Conference player of the week (23.5 points, 7 rebounds) had 10 for the Tigers.

Tennessee State outrebounded the Vols in the first half 19-18, but Tennessee held a 38-30 rebounding advantage in the game.

The Vols got some good news on 6-foot-11 redshirt sophomore J.P. Estrella. Through the first three games, Estrella was averaging 17.8 points and 8.7 rebounds. Late in the first half in Monday’s win over Rice, Estrella suffered a left knee injury in a scrum of bodies. There was no structural damage to the knee. The bone bruise will keep him out 2-3 weeks.

Tennessee sophomore starting guard Bishop Boswell missed his third straight game with a left leg injury sustained in practice a couple weeks ago.

Up next

Tennessee State: The Tigers play at UNC Asheville next Tuesday night

Tennessee: The Vols will take on Rutgers next Monday in the first round of the Players Era Men’s Championship in Las Vegas.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Gillespie scores 17 to lead No. 20 Tennessee over Tennessee State 89-60 | iNFOnews.ca
Tennessee State guard Dante Harris (10) shoots past Tennessee forward Nate Ament (10) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Gillespie scores 17 to lead No. 20 Tennessee over Tennessee State 89-60 | iNFOnews.ca
Tennessee State forward Aaron Nkrumah (30) shoots past Tennessee guard Troy Henderson (24) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Gillespie scores 17 to lead No. 20 Tennessee over Tennessee State 89-60 | iNFOnews.ca
Tennessee forward Dewayne Brown II (6) goes for a dunk as he’s fouled by Tennessee State forward Jean Yvens Lafleur (21) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Gillespie scores 17 to lead No. 20 Tennessee over Tennessee State 89-60 | iNFOnews.ca
Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie (0) battles for the ball with Tennessee State guard Dante Harris (10) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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