Tennessee's young men's basketball team took its final baby step before heading to New York, easily dispatching of Coppin State on Sunday afternoon.

Junior Chris Lofton led five Vols in double figures with 19 points as No. 25 Tennessee scored a 99-65 victory over the Eagles at Thompson-Boling Arena.

"I liked our balance once again; the fact we had 43 points off the bench talks a little bit about it,'' UT coach Bruce Pearl said. "Coppin State played really hard for a while, but obviously the pace and pressure took its toll.''

The Eagles (0-3) stayed within 10 points until the 2:56 mark of the first half when Tywain McKee scored three of his game-high 21 points on a 3-pointer that made it 38-30.

But the Vols (4-0) stormed back quickly when Tony Passley hit a 3-pointer, Lofton sank a pair of free throws and hit a 3-pointer and Duke Crews followed with a bucket for a 10-0 run en route to a 51-33 halftime lead.

Crews, one of five freshmen and six newcomers, had 13 points and six rebounds and fellow freshman Wayne Chism had his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 18 minutes.

"We got 24 points and 17 rebounds from the five (center) from two freshmen, and that's exciting,'' Pearl said.

Perhaps just as important, Dane Bradshaw provided much-needed relief, assuming some point guard responsibilities despite defending in the low post.

Bradshaw had eight points, six rebounds, nine assists and a blocked shot in addition to throwing down his first collegiate dunk.

"Thank God, because (Lady Vol) Candace Parker was leading me by too many,'' said Bradshaw who missed a slam on a break last season. "I was just glad I surprised some people.''

JaJuan Smith chipped in 11 points and Ryan Childress added 10 for the Vols.

Pearl said it's good to get the "preseason'' behind the team and move on to New York with some momentum.

"It is a relief ... but we know the competition will step up,'' Pearl said. "When we play better teams, you'll see we're young. I'm pleased with our progress, but there's so much to learn.''

The Vols could learn a hard lesson as soon as 7 p.m. Wednesday at Madison Square Garden when they play Butler in the NIT Season Tip-off semifinals (TV: ESPN2).

North Carolina plays Gonzaga in the other semifinal, with the winners set to meet at 7 p.m. Friday. The losers of Wednesday's games play at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

"This will be a test to let us know where we stand,'' Lofton said. "We haven't played a ranked opponent yet.

"Playing (in New York) elevates our program. We'll be in the big city with everyone watching.''

Sunday's crowd was announced at 21,633, but it appeared much smaller.

"Even though we had a sizable lead at the half, Coach chewed us out a good deal,'' Bradshaw said. "We didn't have the focus and energy in the first half. Maybe that was human nature because of the smaller crowd and us looking ahead.''

The Vols fly out Tuesday bound for New York. After playing in the Big Apple, UT travels to Louisiana-Lafayette for an 8 p.m. game Monday night before returning home to play Murray State at 7 p.m. on Dec. 1.

Magic Number: Lofton is one point short of 1,000 career points.

"I didn't even know that until after the game,'' Lofton said. "I can't be concerned about that. I'm just ready to play in Madison Square Garden.''

Lofton smiled when told that it's his turn to make his first career collegiate dunk, now that Bradshaw has his.

"I can't jump,'' said Lofton, who's listed at 6-foot-2. "I can't do that on a good day.''

Chilly Pick: One of the crowd's favorite highlights came in the second half when freshman point guard Ramar Smith dribbled McKee into a half-court pick set by Childress.

To the crowd's delight, Childress didn't budge and McKee hit the floor hard.

Tickets: UT will put individual tickets for all SEC home games on sale today. A limited number are left in the 300 level, with tickets in that area of the arena going for $15 apiece.

Also available are the five home game mini-packs, one of which includes games with Memphis, Mississippi State, LSU, Vanderbilt and Florida. The other mini-pack features games with Texas, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Alabama. Each pack costs $75 with seats located in sections 309A through 311A.

Fans may order online at UTsports.com or by phone at (865) 656-1200 or 1-800-332-VOLS (8657) for calls outside the local area. Ticket office hours at the arena are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.