KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- While it may have been ugly, a slower-paced game is what Tennessee (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today, No. 11 AP) figures it should probably get used to.

Vincent Yarbrough had 25 points, including two baskets in the final three minutes, to help Tennessee hold off South Carolina 73-66 Saturday.

Tennessee (18-2, 6-1 Southeastern Conference), the SEC's second-highest scoring team at 82 points a game, was forced into a low-scoring game by South Carolina (9-11, 1-6), the conference's second-worst scorers at 65 points a game.

"I think the more exposure we have to that will help us down the line," Yarbrough said.

After trailing by as many as 15, South Carolina pulled to within four at 65-61 on Antonio Grant's basket with three minutes left.

But Yarbrough followed with a layup to extend Tennessee's lead to five. After the Gamecocks closed the gap to 67-64 with 1:48 left on Herbert Lee Davis' basket, Yarbrough countered with a dunk to put the Vols up by five and seal the victory.

"We like the wide-open game like Florida and Auburn play," Tennessee coach Jerry Green said. "But we need to enjoy this type game too because we'll need it for tournament play."

Tennessee has won seven of their last eight, including the last four.

C.J. Black had 16 points for Tennessee, while Tony Harris added 11.

Davis led South Carolina with 15 points, while Marius Petravicius added 11 points and ten rebounds.

"It takes poise to win the close games," South Carolina coach Eddie Fogler said. "We were close, but we never had control of the game."

South Carolina fell behind early, going down 21-9 10 minutes into the half.

Tennessee led by as many as 15, but Marius Petravicius' basket with 30 seconds left before halftime pulled the Gamecocks to 33-23 at the half.

South Carolina's momentum carried over into the second half as they cut Tennessee's lead to single digits. Petravicius' basket with 6:40 remaining capped an 11-5 South Carolina run that cut the Vols' lead to 61-55.

But Black and Yarbrough combined for 10 of the Vols' final 12 points to seal the win.