Ja’Kobi Gillespie shines for No. 17 Tennessee in win over No. 3 Houston

Feast Week basketball has a March-like feel to it. 

At least in Las Vegas it does, as the No. 17-ranked Tennessee Volunteers and No. 3-ranked Houston Cougars did battle in a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight meeting.

The battle of unbeaten teams saw Tennessee come away with a hard-fought 76-73 win over Houston, handing the Cougars their first loss of the season.

Standout performances

For the Vols, it was senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie who carried the weight, especially in the second half. Despite a poor shooting night (5-of-16), Gillespie was still able to pour in 22 points.

Nine of those came on free throws, six of which came in the second half of Tuesday’s win. In two games of the Players Era Festival, Gillespie has accounted for 54 of Tennessee’s 161 points.

For the Cougars, it was senior guard Milos Uzan (17 points) and standout freshman Kingston Flemings (25 points) who kept Houston in the game.