Tennessee raced out to a big halftime lead and then cruised in the second half in a 70-58 victory over Kansas State on Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Volunteers led by 17 at halftime, and the Wildcats never got closer than nine points in the second half.

Tennessee was energetic coming off its biggest win of the season, an 82-80 victory over Kentucky Tuesday. K-State was trying to rebound from a 70-65 loss to Iowa State, but the Wildcats never got any traction.

Tennessee (12-9) was led by Grant Williams with 17 points. Jordan Bowden had 13 points and Robert Hubbs III had 10 points and seven rebounds. Kyle Alexander had eight points and nine rebounds as the Volunteers held a 43-29 advantage in rebounds.

Kansas State (15-6) was led by Barry Brown with 17 points. Wesley Iwundu added 14 and Kamau Stokes had 11 points.

The Wildcats tried to make a game of it in the second half. They shot 50 percent from 3-point range (5 of 10) in the second half, after missing all six first-half attempts. But the deficit was just too big.

After K-State cut the lead to 57-48 with 9:06 remaining, the Vols went on a 9-2 run to seal the victory.

Nothing worked for Kansas State in the first half. For the second straight game, the Wildcats went to halftime with a 17-point deficit, 39-22, and a season-low in first-half points.

The Volunteers pulled away early to grab a 25-12 lead. They shot 53.6 percent in the first half, including 4 of 10 from 3-point range. Tennessee held K-State to just 36.4 percent. The other difference was on the boards, where the Vols held a 22-12 advantage, including 9-4 on the offensive glass.

The Wildcats also picked up some big fouls, including two each on four different players. Little-used players like Isaiah Maurice, Austin Budke and Brian Patrick saw minutes in the first half.