Tennessee's Chris Lofton (5) drives to the basket as Alabama's Demetrius Jemison (23) defends in the first half Tuesday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Tuscaloosa, Ala. ? Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith got hot from the outside in plenty of time to bail No. 7 Tennessee out of serious trouble.

Lofton had five three-pointers and 23 points and Smith added four threes and 22 points to lead the Vols to victory over Alabama on Tuesday night.

The Volunteers (18-2, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) blew most of a 10-point lead but went 9-of-12 from three-point range in the second half.

The Tide (12-9, 1-5) managed to pull within two points five times in the final 7 minutes, but never grabbed the lead.

No. 17 Marquette 62, South Florida 54

Milwaukee – Lazar Hayward scored a career-high 23 points and No. 17 Marquette held off an upset bid by South Florida.

Wesley Matthews added 16 points for the Golden Eagles (15-4, 5-3 Big East), including three late 3-pointers that helped put the game away.

Marquette’s win came despite limited contributions from leading scorer Dominic James, who appeared to take a forearm in the gut early on and played only 6 minutes in the first half.

James sat out the first 6 minutes of the second half and finished with three points.