Tennessee basketball defeats Houston in Players Era Men's Championship

No. 16 Tennessee (7-0) defeated No. 2 Houston (6-1), 76-73, Tuesday in the Players Era Men's Championship at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

With the victory, the Vols avenged last season's loss to Houston in the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and took a, 4-3, lead in the all-time series against the Cougars.

The Cougars led, 39-35, at halftime.

Ja'Kobi Gillespie totaled 22 points, four assists, two rebounds and one steal. He converted 5-of-16 field goal attempts, 3-of-9 three-point attempts and 9-of-9 free throw attempts. Gillespie was one of three Vols' players to score 10-plus points in the contest.

Jaylen Carey recorded 13 points and seven rebounds for Tennessee. Bishop Boswell had 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block for the Vols.

Nate Ament and Felix Okpara each finished with nine points. Ament recorded five rebounds, four assists and one steal, while Okpara totaled three rebounds and one block.

Houston freshman Kingston Flemmings scored a game-high 25 points. He also totaled four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Vols defeat No. 2 Houston basketball in Las Vegas