ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Bone scored 19 points to help spark a hot-shooting first half for No. 13 Tennessee in an 84-66 win over Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals on Saturday.
The win is the sixth straight and 13th in the last 15 games for the second-seeded Volunteers (25-7), who will try to win their first SEC Tournament championship in almost 40 years when they face Kentucky on Sunday.
Bone scored 17 of his points in the first half, hitting 7 of 7 from the field and all three of his 3-point attempts. The sophomore finished 8 of 11 from the field and hit the three 3-pointers — part of an 11-of-17 shooting effort from behind the arc for Tennessee.
The Volunteers hit 11 of their first 12 shots overall and 19 of 25 (76 percent) in the first half on the way to a 48-29 halftime lead. Admiral Schofield added 16 points for Tennessee, while Grant Williams, Kyle Alexander and James Daniel III finished with 12 points apiece.
Daryl Macon scored 19 points to lead the sixth-seeded Razorbacks (23-11), who had won eight of their previous 10 games. Jaylen Barford added 14, and Anton Beard and Darious Hall had 11 each in the loss.
BIG PICTURE
Arkansas: The game was the third in three days for the Razorbacks, who defeated No. 3 seed Florida on Friday night and left the Scottrade Center less than 15 hours before Saturday's tip. Arkansas defeated Tennessee 95-93 in overtime on Dec. 30 in Fayetteville, a game in which Macon and Barford combined to score 61 points.
Tennessee: The Volunteers won their last SEC Tournament championship in 1979 when they defeated Kentucky in the title game. The school has reached the championship game 10 times, tied for the third-most appearances in the conference, and it lost to Mississippi State in its most recent title game in 2009.
UP NEXT
Arkansas awaits its NCAA Tournament opponent.
The Volunteers face Kentucky on Sunday.
EARLIER
Tennessee 84, Arkansas 66 - Final
Tennessee shot 57 percent from the floor and made 11 of 17 three-pointers, rolling Arkansas to reach the SEC Tournament title game against Kentucky.
The Vols put five players in double figures, led by Jordan Bone's 19. Daryl Macon scored a team-high 19 points and Jaylen Barford added 14 on 4 of 8 shooting.
Arkansas will now await its NCAA Tournament seeding and destination. Arkansas will head into the Big Dance at 23-11.
Tennessee 75, Arkansas 62 - 3:52 left
Daryl Macon is having his best game of the SEC Tournament today. He has a team-high 17 on 5 of 9 shooting. Jaylen Barford also has 14 and Anton Beard 11.
The Vols are shooting just 35 percent since halftime, but are keeping their distance at the line. Tennessee is 14 of 16 from the stripe in the second half.
Tennessee 70, Arkansas 56 - 7:17 left
Tennessee is starting to milk the clock by grabbing offensive rebounds and extra possessions. Kyle Alexander grabbed an offensive board in traffic and allowed the Vols to work another half-minute off. He then finished with a dunk on Tennessee's next possession.
Arkansas has scored on 13 of 18 second half possessions, but hasn't been able to pull within 10.
Tennessee 60, Arkansas 47 - 11:47 left
Grant Williams just finished strong at the rim over Adrio Bailey, pushing the Vols' lead back to 13. He'll be at the line when play resumes. Williams has nine points and five rebounds - three on the offensive end.
Anton Beard has played pretty well in St. Louis. He has six points in the second half and helped Arkansas get back to within 11 before the break.
Tennessee 53, Arkansas 38 - 15:42 left
Arkansas is ever so slightly climbing back into this one. Tennessee has helped out with several point-blank misses and Arkansas turned that into points on the other end. Daniel Gafford finished with a dunk and, after the second missed layup, Jaylen Barford came down and challenged Kyle Alexander at the rim and drew a foul.
The Vols are just 1 of 7 shooting in the second half. If Arkansas can get to within 8-10 at the 10-minute mark, things could get interesting. But it's going to require stringing more stops together and defending without fouling.
Tennessee 48, Arkansas 29 - Half
That's about as perfect a first half of basketball as you could ask for if you're Tennessee. The Vols shot 76 percent and finished 7 of 8 from beyond the arc. Admiral Schofield capped an incredible 20 minutes with a 3 of his own.
Jordan Bone leads all scorers with 17 while James Daniel and Schofield have 11 each. Bone and Daniel are a combined 10 of 10 shooting.
Arkansas shot 39 percent in the first half. Nothing has come easy. Daryl Macon leads Arkansas with eight points and Jaylen Barford has six.
Tennessee 41, Arkansas 27 - 3:19 left first half
The Vols are now 6 of 7 from deep today and shooting 73 percent from the floor. James Daniel and Jordan Bone have combined for 24 points on 8 of 8 shooting.
Daryl Macon has shot the ball a bit better today than in the first two games in St. Louis. He's got a team-high eight points and buried a 3 after Tennessee took a 17-point lead.
Tennessee 29, Arkansas 19 - 7:22 left first half
Tennessee is shooting the lights out and there's not a whole lot Arkansas can do about it. The Vols opened by making 11 of their first 12, and are 12 of 15 through 12-plus minutes. Jordan Bone already has 13 points on 5 of 5 shooting to lead all scorers.
Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon lead Arkansas with five points apiece while Darious Hall has four. Daniel Gafford's first bucket of the day was a dunk on Kyle Alexander.
Tennessee 16, Arkansas 12 - 11:13 left first half
Tennessee is having a block party at the Razorbacks' expense so far. Arkansas is 5 of 16 from the floor and five of the misses are shots the Vols have blocked.
Admiral Schofield has six points to lead Tennessee on 3 of 4 from the floor. He has the Vols' lone miss at this point. Jaylen Barford has five to lead the Hogs. Darious Hall is energetic as usual today.
Tennessee 11, Arkansas 7 - 15:26 left first half
The Vols are off to a hot start offensively. They are 5 of 6 from the floor early on and Jordan Bone canned a long 3. Grant Williams will be at the line when play resumes. He was matched up with Daryl Macon following a switch and got the whistle after coming up short on a jump hook.
Jaylen Barford is playing well early as well. He has five points on 2 of 3 from the floor and Macon has Arkansas' other score on a nice iso jumper from the short corner.
Pregame
Arkansas is starting with Anton Beard, Daryl Macon, Jaylen Barford, Adrio Bailey and Daniel Gafford.
Tennessee begins the game with Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield, Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden and Kyle Alexander.