KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ja'Kobi Gillespie had 15 points and nine assists, Amaree Abrams scored 15 points and No. 20 Tennessee beat Gardner-Webb 94-52 on Sunday.
Jaylen Carey added 12 points for Tennessee (9-3). J.P. Estrella had 10 points, and DeWayne Brown II finished with 14 rebounds.
Curtis Williams led Gardner-Webb (2-13) with 14 points. DJ Jefferson had 13. He spent his first two years at Tennessee, then a season at Longwood, before landing with the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Estrella had 10 points to lead Tennessee to a 52-19 halftime lead. After a slow start, the Vols scored 17 straight points to get a double-digit lead they didn't lose the rest of the game.
Tennessee guard Ethan Burg missed the game with an illness.
After last week’s rout of No. 11 Louisville, the Vols cemented their 87th consecutive week in The Associated Press poll. Tennessee came into that game with three straight losses, with a loss putting the appearance streak in jeopardy.
Up next
Gardner-Webb: Host Charleston Southern on Dec. 31.
Tennessee: Hosts South Carolina State on Dec. 30.
______
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
