Dalton Knecht leaves injured late in Tennessee's loss at North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Dalton Knecht left No. 10 Tennessee’s game at No. 17 North Carolina with 1:39 left in the second half with an apparent left leg injury Wednesday at the Dean Smith Center. The Vols lost 100-92 after trailing by as many as 24 points in the second half.

Head coach Rick Barnes said after the game that Knecht sprained his ankle, rolling it after stepping on a defender’s foot.

Knecht had 37 points on 17 shots in 37 minutes, tying the record for the most ever scored by an opposing player at the Dean Smith Center. La Salle’s Lionel Simmons scored 37 in January 1988 and Knecht would’ve had a chance to break the record at the foul line had he not been injured.

He drove the lane and dropped to the floor on on the way to the rim after stepping on the defender’s foot. Knecht tried to get up initially but had to lay back down on the floor. He was carried off with a trainer under each arm, not putting any body weight on the injured left leg.

Jonas Aidoo made two free throws in Knecht’s place, cutting the deficit to six. It was as close as the Vols would get in the loss.

Josiah-Jordan James had 20 to go with Knecht’s 37, Jonas Aidoo scored 13 and Jordan Gainey added 11.

Knecht scored 15 points in the first half and 22 in the second half. He’s the first Tennessee player to score 35 or more points since Grant Williams scored 43 at Vanderbilt in January 2019.

Knecht finished 13-for-17 from the floor, 4-for-8 from the 3-point line and 7-for-8 at the foul line. He had a team-high six rebounds and added three assists. He went 8-for-9 in the second half, including 3-for-4 from three.

He entered the game as Tennessee’s leading scorer, averaging 17.5 points per game while shooting 45.0% from the field and 37.9% from the 3-point line.

He scored 28 in his unofficial debut, leading the Vols to a charity exhibition win at Michigan State. He had 24 two weeks ago in Tennessee’s win at Wisconsin.