Lofton grounded

Tennessee beat South Carolina 64-61 to end a three-game losing streak, but Lofton sprained his right ankle early in the second half and nearly squandered a 15-point lead.

A hush fell over the Thompson-Boling Arena crowd of 23,238 when Lofton lay writhing in pain under the Gamecocks’ basket with 18:11 remaining. The No. 22 Vols (14-5, 2-2 SEC) led 37-27 when Lofton was injured.

UT released a statement after the game that precautionary X-rays on Lofton will be performed Monday morning and his playing status is listed as being out indefinitely.

Few could predict how UT would respond to playing without the SEC’s leading scorer.

Never mind that Lofton was held scoreless in the first half and UT led 33-22 at halftime; he’d already scored four points in the second half and his importance to the team’s success can’t be overstated.

"We had a good gut-check tonight, for lots of reasons,’’ UT coach Bruce Pearl said. "On the heels of three losses, all coming down to last-possession situations, and then losing our All-American, a lot of teams could have folded.

"Stuff like that doesn’t build character, it reveals it. A lot of guys had to step up.’’

Indeed, the Vols went on a 9-1 run without Lofton, with JaJuan Smith scoring two of his team-high 21 points on a spinning drive that capped the spurt and gave UT a 46-31 lead with 13:30 remaining.

But it appeared to be "here we go again’’ for the Vols, who blew a 14-point second-half lead in Wednesday night’s 83-80 loss at Auburn, when South Carolina (10-7, 0-4) battled back with a 14-2 run. Tre’ Kelley’s 3-pointer with 6:16 left pulled the Gamecocks to 48-45.

"It (Lofton’s injury) was a factor in us being able to come back because he had no points at halftime and I’m sure he got his tail chewed out,’’ said South Carolina coach Dave Odom, whose team has dropped five straight. "He came out in the second half and you could tell he had the bit in his mouth. I was already beginning to say ‘Uh-oh, what are we going to do.’ ’’

Instead, it was the Vols that were forced to scramble.

Freshman center Wayne Chism, who stepped up with 14 points and 10 rebounds, answered the Gamecocks’ run with a dunk to make it 50-45 at the 5:49 mark after freshman Josh Tabb rebounded Chism’s missed free throw.

Chism’s bucket was the Vols’ first field goal in 7:51, a stretch that saw them miss 11 shots and turn the ball over three times.

South Carolina countered Chism’s dunk with a Dwayne Day jumper, closing to 50-47 with 5:15 remaining, and following a Ramar Smith miss, the Gamecocks had the ball with a chance to tie.

Instead, JaJuan Smith literally rose to the occasion, using his 41-inch vertical to block a Day drive to the basket.

Tabb, to date the Vols’ defensive specialist, tipped away South Carolina’s ensuing inbounds pass and proceeded to hit a 3-pointer at the other end to make it 53-47 and lift UT from immediate peril.

The Gamecocks never had the ball with a chance to tie for the game’s remainder, as the Vols sank 7-of-8 free throw attempts over the final minute.

"Our whole team is not based around Chris,’’ Chism said. "We just have to pull together without him.’’

Pearl pointed to 16 minutes of solid play from guard Jordan Howell, playing his first game since a Dec. 21 hand injury, as key.

Senior guard Dane Bradshaw, though held without a point, had seven assists and two steals with no turnovers.

"Look at all the guys that had to step up and make plays,’’ Pearl said. "Given what we’d gone through, with the close losses, that was a game a lot of teams would have folded and lost.’’

The Vols play at Ole Miss (12-7, 1-4) at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Duke’s Birthday: Crews’ 19th birthday celebration stayed off the court. Crews played a season-low 15 minutes, scoring six points, pulling down three rebounds and turning the ball over four times.

Big Crowd: The announced crowd of 23,238 was the Vols’ largest of the season and biggest since UT played Kentucky (24,108) March 1, 2006. The Vols are averaging 19,268 per home game this season.

Orange Slices: The Vols’ four 3-pointers made was their fewest of the season and tied for the lowest of the Pearl era; UT made 4-of-18 against Vanderbilt Feb.1, 2006. ? Tabb played a career-high 28 minutes. ? Bradshaw’s scoreless game was his second of the season, as he was 0-for-4 shooting against UNC-Wilmington Nov. 14.