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Chism, Tennessee roll past Siena at Old Spice Classic

Nov 27, 2008 - 9:34 PM LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (Ticker) -- Wayne Chism and 12th-ranked Tennessee proved to be too much for Siena.

Chism scored 15 points Thursday as the Volunteers cruised to an easy 78-64 victory over the Saints in a first-round game at the Old Spice Classic.

Chism was 6-of-10 from the floor and added six rebounds and three assists for the Volunteers (4-0), who took control of the contest with an 18-0 run late in the first half.

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

Renaldo Woolridge and Tyler Smith added 14 points for Tennessee, who also got 11 from J. P. Prince off the bench.

The Volunteers held a 17-15 edge with 10:04 left in the first half before opening their run with a 3-pointer by freshman Scotty Hopson. Woolridge drained a pair of 3-pointers during the spurt, which was capped off with a layup by Cameron Tatum.

Siena (2-1) ended its five-minute scoring drought with a jumper by Ronald Moore, but Chism responded with a resounding dunk as the Volunteers closed the first half with a 47-27 cushion.

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

The Saints opened the second half with an 11-0 run, keyed by six points from Alex Franklin, but could not get their deficit under nine points the rest of the way. The Volunteers led by as many as 21 in the second half.

"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."

Franklin led Siena with 16 points while Edwin Ubiles added 14 and Ryan Rossiter finished with 12.

Siena's Kenny Hasbrouck, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, was held to six points on 1-of-10 shooting. He entered the contest averaging 21.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in Siena's first two contests.

"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."

The Volunteers shot 50 percent (29-for-58) for the game, including 6-of-14 from the arc.

Tennessee next faces Georgetown in Friday's semifinals.