LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Tyler Smith scored 21 points Friday to lead No. 12 Tennessee to a 90-78 semifinal victory over No. 21 Georgetown in the semifinals of the Old Spice Classic.
Tennessee (5-0), which beat Siena in the opening round, will play for the title Sunday against the winner of the game between No. 9 Gonzaga and Maryland.
Chris Wright had 18 points for the Hoyas (3-1), who had five players in double figures. Cameron Tatum hit five of six 3-pointers and finished with 17 points for the Vols, who made eight of nine free throws in the final 46 seconds.
Georgetown went on a 23-10 run early in the second half to build a 65-57 lead. The Vols, playing a small lineup because of two big men in foul trouble, cut into the lead. Tatum hit a 3 to tie the score and after a 3-point play by J.P Prince, he followed another 3 with a steal and dunk to put the Vols up 75-69.
Georgetown trailed 45-39 early in the second half, but aided by good defense that forced offensive fouls and a pair of 3s by Omar Wattad, the Hoyas went up 54-47 with just over six minutes gone.
After center Wayne Chism hit a 3 to cut the Hoyas' lead to 21-19 midway through the first half, he picked up his second foul and went to the bench. With him out, the Vols turned up their running game and went on an 11-2 run before Georgetown countered.
The Hoyas committed 20 turnovers, 10 in the first 15 minutes, and trailed 39-37 at halftime.
Chism had nine points in seven first-half minutes. He picked up two fouls in the first four minutes of the second half and finished with nine points after fouling out in the final two minutes with Tennessee up by nine.
Georgetown freshman center Greg Monroe played only eight minutes in the first half, scoring six points. He didn't commit another foul until midway through the half and finished with 15 points, his fourth straight game in double figures.
Georgetown led the Big East in all four major team defensive categories last year, but struggled to shut down the Vols. Tennessee shot 53 percent and 65 percent from the 3-point line. The Vols weren't any better, allowing the Hoyas to make 53 percent of their field goals.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
