James Daniel III, Lamonte Turner step up for Vols basketball against Kentucky

An almost broken play turned into a game-changing moment Saturday for the Vols when senior guard James Daniel III threw a daring transition pass.

Junior center Kyle Alexander gathered the ball as he almost went out of bounds, tossing it back to Admiral Schofield. Daniel III quickly drifted away from Schofield, called for the ball near midcourt and threw a sharp pass to the corner in front of the Vols bench to Lamonte Turner.

Turner calmly collected the pass, knocked down the game-tying 3-pointer and the Vols – commanded by Daniel III and Turner – were off to a dominant second half to beat Kentucky.

“I loved it – I loved watching him and Lamonte,” Alexander said. “They were so poised. There have been some other games where we have had some late turnovers and stuff. But today they were solid down the stretch. It was really fun to watch us slowly secure the win.”

Daniel III and Turner clocked 16 and 17 minutes, respectively, in the second half of No. 22 Tennessee’s 76-65 win against No. 14 Kentucky. They combined for 11 assists – eight in the second half – and only two turnovers, providing a spark and necessary play for UT (10-4, 1-2 SEC).

More: Tennessee basketball makes it look surprisingly easy in second half against Kentucky

The backup guard duo did it in place of normal starters Jordan Bone, who was battling the flu this week, and Jordan Bowden, who was having a cold shooting night. Bone played only nine minutes, while Bowden matched his season low with only 21 minutes.

But it was no problem for the Vols, whose depth coach Rick Barnes has loved since the preseason, as Saturday saw Daniel III and Turner make the plays with Bone and Bowden consistently cheering and celebrating from the bench.

Daniel III checked in with 16:05 to play Saturday, taking the spot of the slightly slumping Bowden. He didn’t leave the floor the rest of the game, playing turnover-free basketball as the Vols came back to beat the Wildcats.

He made a highlight-reel pass with 6:53 to play and the shot clock winding down when he placed a perfect pass to Grant Williams for an open alley-oop. Daniel III turned toward the bench in celebration and the Vols led by 11 for the first time.

“It’s not a shocker to us because we know what he can do,” Schofield said. “That’s why he’s here. That’s why he was recruited here. He was big-time for us. That’s what we need every night -- even off the bench. I’m pretty sure this is a confidence booster for him. I’m proud of him and I’m happy for him. We are going to need that consistently and I think he’s going to bring it.”

Barnes praised Turner for how he “really set a great tone,” including how he came to practice Friday when Bone was out for a second straight day.

Against Kentucky, Turner gave the Vols a 42-41 lead with his first 3-pointer. Then his second 3-pointer tied the game, kicking off a 10-0 run with which Tennessee would gain control. He assisted Daniel III’s lone basket when he pump faked, stepped under a defender and flicked a pass to his right for a wide-open Daniel III 3-pointer and a 54-47 Tennessee lead.

He played the final 7:39 of the game, running the humming Tennessee offense alongside Daniel III down the home stretch to a huge win for the Vols.

“Both of those guys have made big plays for us at some point and time this year and they really carried us tonight,” Barnes said.