FLORENCE, Italy — Fueled by an explosive offensive attack, the Tennessee basketball team posted its second win over the Lithuanian U21 National Team in as many days Saturday, collecting a 116-90 victory at Palacoverciano.
The Volunteers improved to 2-0 during their three-game exhibition tour of Italy after previously defeating the Lithuanian squad, 97-57, on Friday.
Saturday saw the Big Orange shoot .488 as a team, including a .432 clip from 3-point range. Tennessee drained 16 triples, with Santiago Vescovi going 5-for-7 from long range and Dalton Knecht shooting 4-for-7.
Vescovi and Knecht shared the team lead with 19 points apiece, while forwards Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka each scored 16. Aidoo added a team-high 11 rebounds to log a double-double, and Awaka’s night was highlighted by a perfect shooting performance—5-for-5 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
As a team, UT made 20 of 21 free-throw attempts Saturday, with eight different players hitting from the foul line.
Redshirt freshman guard Freddie Dilione V built off his stellar showing on Friday with a 10-point, 10-assist double-double off the bench Saturday.
Jordan Gainey finished with 13 points, and Josiah-Jordan James added 10 to go along with five rebounds.
In the fourth quarter, Tennessee reserves Colin Coyne, Grant Hurst and Kaylan Makan saw their first action of the foreign tour.
Nojus Kuliesa starred for the Lithuanian U21 National Team. He fired off 13 3-point attempts and connected on seven of them en route to a game-high 25 points. Fellow guard Paulius Velutis added 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
Tennessee departs Florence Sunday morning, traveling to Rome via train. On Monday, the Vols conclude their summer exhibition schedule against Rome-based professional team A.S. Stella Azzurra at Stella Azzurra Basketball Academy. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. local / 1:30 p.m. ET, and fans can access a live video stream of the game by purchasing a one-month subscription to FloHoops.