Tennessee State Tigers @ Tennessee Volunteers
Gillespie scores 17 to lead No. 20 Tennessee over Tennessee State 89-60
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- — 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.
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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Game Information
Knoxville, TN

Referee:James Breeding
Referee:Wil Howard
Referee:Erroll Lewis

2025-26 Standings
| Ohio Valley ConferenceOhio Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| UT Martin | 12-5 | - | 20-8 |
| Southeast Missouri State | 12-5 | - | 17-11 |
| Tennessee State | 11-5 | 0.5 | 17-9 |
| Morehead State | 11-5 | 0.5 | 15-12 |
| SIU Edwardsville | 10-6 | 1.5 | 17-10 |
| Lindenwood | 10-6 | 1.5 | 16-11 |
| Eastern Illinois | 7-9 | 4.5 | 11-16 |
| Little Rock | 7-9 | 4.5 | 10-17 |
| Tennessee Tech | 6-10 | 5.5 | 11-16 |
| Southern Indiana | 2-14 | 9.5 | 5-21 |
| Western Illinois | 1-15 | 10.5 | 5-22 |
| Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 11-2 | - | 20-6 |
| Alabama | 9-4 | 2 | 19-7 |
| Arkansas | 9-4 | 2 | 19-7 |
| Tennessee | 9-4 | 2 | 19-7 |
| Vanderbilt | 8-5 | 3 | 21-5 |
| Missouri | 8-5 | 3 | 18-8 |
| Texas A&M | 8-5 | 3 | 18-8 |
| Texas | 8-5 | 3 | 17-9 |
| Kentucky | 8-5 | 3 | 17-9 |
| Georgia | 6-7 | 5 | 18-8 |
| Auburn | 5-8 | 6 | 14-12 |
| Mississippi State | 5-8 | 6 | 13-13 |
| Oklahoma | 3-10 | 8 | 13-13 |
| Ole Miss | 3-10 | 8 | 11-15 |
| LSU | 2-11 | 9 | 14-12 |
| South Carolina | 2-11 | 9 | 11-15 |
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