Newton Citizen

ATHENS - Chris Lofton scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half and No. 4 Tennessee held on for a 74-71 win over Georgia on Saturday.

Wayne Chism had 16 points and Tyler Smith added 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Vols stretched their winning streak to seven.

Lofton was 1 of 6 from 3-point range before halftime, but the senior hit five 3s in the second half, pushing his Southeastern Conference-record total to 398.

Tennessee (23-2, 10-1) has won eight straight in the series with Georgia (12-11, 3-7), including a sweep of this season's two games.

Sundiatta Gaines led Georgia with 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Terrance Woodbury added 14 points but missed two 3-pointers in the final minute.

With Tennessee leading 74-71, Woodbury missed a 3-pointer with 47 seconds left.

Chism missed a layup with 17 seconds left, but Woodbury was short on another 3 from the corner with less than 10 seconds left.

Gaines couldn't make a last-second 3-point try after missing a free throw, grabbing the rebound and racing to the corner for the shot. The errant 3 hit the rim twice before falling away.

Chism had 14 points as Tennessee took a 35-31 halftime lead despite 1-for-9 shooting on 3-pointers.

Georgia took the lead with a run early in the second half. Woodbury's 3-pointer, followed by Gaines' steal and three-point play, helped the Bulldogs take a 49-45 lead. A jumper by Zac Swansey, who had 10 points, gave Georgia a 51-48 lead.

The Vols answered with 10 straight points on a tip-in by J.P. Prince, a baseline drive by JaJuan Smith, two baskets by Tyler Smith and a steal and layup by Ramar Smith for a 58-51 lead.

JaJuan Smith, coming off a career-high 32 points in a win over Arkansas, had only two points on 1-for-7 shooting.