Final
Tatum helps Tennessee bury Georgetown
Nov 29, 2008 - 2:45 AM LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (Ticker) -- Cameron Tatum got hot at the right time for Tennessee.Tatum drained four 3-pointers in the closing minutes to lead the 12th-ranked Volunteers to a 90-78 victory over No. 16 Georgetown on Friday in the semifinals of the Old Spice Classic.
Tatum came off the bench and finished with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. He also connected on 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.
The Volunteers (5-0) were led by Tyler Smith, who scored 21 points. Bobby Maze added 14 points and J. P. Prince finished with 11 off the bench.
Only Smith and Maze played more than 22 minutes for Tennessee, which got a huge contribution from its bench.
"Our (starting) five are good, but our 10 are what makes us better," Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said. "We go to the bench and we don't fall off. That's what helps in tournament play."
Georgetown (3-1) went on a 23-10 run early in the second half to build a 65-57 lead as the Volunteers were forced to play a small lineup due to foul trouble. Tennessee center Wayne Chism played only 12 minutes before fouling out with nine points.
Tatum buried a 3-pointer with 5:56 remaining as the Volunteers rallied to take a 67-66 lead. He later scored five straight points with another 3-pointer and a dunk as Tennessee opened a 75-69 edge with 4:05 left in the contest.
"Tyler told me on the bus over, 'You'd better be ready to shoot,' " Tatum said. "It was one of those days. I was feeling it."
Tatum also knocked down consecutive 3-pointers, the latter with 1:10 remaining as the Volunteers opened an 83-72 advantage.
Tennessee closed the game out late by converting eight of nine free throws in the final 46 seconds.
"I thought coming down the stretch they executed well, did what they had to do," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "I don't think depth had anything to do with it."
Georgetown was paced by Chris Wright, who scored 18 points.
The Hoyas had four players reach double figures as DaJuan Summers scored 17, freshman Greg Monroe added 15 and Austin Freeman chipped in with 12.
Monroe played only eight minutes in the first half, scoring six points. He didn't commit another foul until midway through the second half and was able to post his fourth straight game in double figures.
As a team, the Hoyas committed 20 turnovers, including 10 in the first 15 minutes, and trailed 39-37 at halftime.
"Some of those turnovers they just handed to us because they were tired," Pearl said.
Georgetown led the Big East in most major team defensive categories last year, but struggled to shut down Tennessee. The Vols shot 53 percent from the floor and 65 percent from the 3-point line.
"Nobody shoots 53 percent against Georgetown," Pearl said. "But it was our patience, our leadership."
The Hoyas also made 53 percent of their field goals.
Tennessee will face 10th-ranked Gonzaga in Sunday's championship game as Pearl aims for his 400th career victory.
- OLD SPICE CLASSIC
AT ORLANDO FL
NCAA BB OLD SPICE CLASSIC
FINAL 1ST 2ND TOTAL
--- --- -----
TENNESSEE (12) 39 51 90
GEORGETOWN (16) 37 41 78 FINAL
Nov 28 3:18 PM - 58
rootsRUWTbot Added 25 roots (Close Finish, Upset, Ranked Teams)
Tennessee(12) 75, Georgetown(16) 71 2nd - 3:12Nov 28 3:01 PM - OLD SPICE CLASSIC
AT ORLANDO FL
NCAA BB (12) TENNESSEE 39
(16) GEORGETOWN 37 HALFTIME
Nov 28 1:54 PM - 28
roots
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