Vols Fall To Top-Seeded Purdue, 72-66, In Elite Eight

DETROIT – The University of Tennessee men's basketball team took an 11-point first-half lead in Sunday afternoon's Elite Eight matchup with third-ranked, top-seeded Purdue, but came up on the short end of a hard-fought 72-66 decision.

Fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht poured in 37 points, the most ever by a Volunteer in the NCAA Tournament, for sixth-ranked, second-seeded Tennessee (27-9, 14-4 SEC) at Little Caesars Arena, nearly helping his team rally back from an eight-point deficit with under 11 minutes to go.

The Volunteers hit five shots in a row early in the first half to build a 17-12 edge with 14:09 on the clock, at which time Knecht already had 10 points. They then went scoreless for 5:35, as Purdue (33-4, 17-3 B1G) tallied seven straight points to go in front by two, but Tennessee countered with back-to-back 3-pointers, taking a 23-19 with 7:52 left before the break.

(Release via Tennessee Athletics)

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