Chism leads Vols by Siena

Tennessee faces Georgetown today

Bruce Pearl and Tennessee avoided a potential upset by forcing Siena outside.

His 12th-ranked Vols did just that, stopping what Siena does best --drive the ball -- and held off the Saints 78-64 Old Spice Classic first-round win Friday.

"Our defense, and Siena's desire to drive the ball to the basket at all costs, meant we had to build a wall," Pearl said. "That was key. We made them have to beat us from outside."

Tennessee will meet No. 21 Georgetown, which defeated Wichita State 58-50 on Thursday, today in the second round.

Wayne Chism scored 15 points and Renaldo Woolridge and Tyler Smith each added 14 for the Vols (4-0).

Alex Franklin led Siena (2-1) with 17. Kenny Hasbrouck was held to six points on 1-of-10 shooting.

"When I went to drive the ball, they had someone to cut me off," Hasbrouck said. "I started missing shots I usually make and got tentative."

Siena made only 1 of 15 3s and turned the ball over 18 times, one fewer than Tennessee.

The Vols went on a 18-0 run late in the first half and pulled away to a 47-27 halftime lead. Bothered by the Vols' man pressure defense and inside strength, Siena missed seven shots and turned the ball over seven times during Tennessee's first half run, including on four straight possessions.

Saints coach Mike McCaffrey said that's where the game was lost.

"When you play a team of this caliber, the focus has to be on staying away from big runs," he said.

Siena scored the first 11 points of the second half, but could not get closer than nine. The Vols led by as many as 21 in the second half.

Tennessee, coming off its best season, which included 31 wins and regular-season stay at No. 1, continues to find some answers in replacing half its offense from a year ago. Defensively, though, they struggled at times.

"Everybody was tight in there, keeping them from penetrating ball," Chism said. "In the second half we lost focus. Toward the end we picked it up and made them turn the ball over."

The Vols, who came into the game hitting 54.2 percent from the field, were 50 percent (29-for-58) for the game, including 6 of 14 3s.

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NO. 21 GEORGETOWN 58, WICHITA STATE 50: Austin Freeman scored 18 points and DaJuan Summers added 14 to lead Georgetown over Wichita State in a first-round game at the Old Spice Classic.

Greg Monroe added 11 points for Georgetown (3-0), which will play Tennessee today.

Wichita State (2-2) got 11 points from David Kyles, while Ramon Clemente had 10.

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NO. 6 BAYLOR 79, UCF 67: Rachel Allison scored 18 points to help Baylor beat Central Florida in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Danielle Wilson added 12 points and Jhasmin Player had 11 for the Bears (5-0).

Emma Cannon scored 17 points and Angelica Mealing added 15 for Central Florida (1-3), which committed 22 turnovers.

NO. 10 MARYLAND 71, MONTANA 58: Kristi Toliver scored 13 points to help Maryland beat Montana in the Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico.

Marissa Coleman added 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Terrapins (5-1).

Mandy Morales scored 15 points to lead Montana (3-1).

Grizzlies coach Robin Selving won his 700th game in the opening round of the tournament on Wednesday when Montana beat Illinois 59-57 on Morales' jumper with 0.7 seconds left in overtime. Selving, who is 700-199 in 31 seasons at Montana, became the ninth Division I coach to reach the milestone.