Tennessee could count on one hand the bad halves of basketball it has had this season. Two of them were against Vanderbilt.

In the rematch of a game where the No. 5 Vols had the backing of their home floor and plenty of motivation after the Commodores beat them in Nashville a month ago, they came out sluggish, were out-toughed and out-classed in nearly every way Saturday.

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Then Tennessee followed it up with its most memorable halves of the season, and one that could define it by looking like its oldself. In the second half, the Vols were the aggressor. They were tougher. They were stronger.

All of those familiar hallmarks of Rick Barnes' team resulted in a much-needed 81-76 triumph at Food City Center.

It took one of those Zakai Zeigler masterclasses to pull off. The Tennessee senior guard was masterful over the last 20 minutes. After going scoreless in the first, he scored 22 points, including the shot that put Vanderbilt away for good in the closing seconds.

Chaz Lanier had a storied performance, too, scoring 21 points, while Igor Milicic Jr. totaled 10. The Vols (21-5, 8-5 SEC) shot 55.8% from the field and 42.9% from three-point range.

After getting out-rebounded by 11 in the first half, Tennessee closed the gap by beating Vanderbilt (17-8, 5-7) on the boards, 20-10 in the second.

The fireworks started early, but Vanderbilt was the one firing them.

Tennessee won the opening tip, but Chris Manon stepped in front of a Jahmai Mashack pass and took the ball the other way, finishing off his drive with a layup and foul.

Tyler Nickel hit a 3-pointer on the Commodores next possession, set up by another Vols' turnover to put Vanderbilt up, 6-0. Igor Milicic Jr. provided Tennessee with its first answer, then Chaz Lanier hit a jumper and rattled in a three.

The good news for the Vols was that they had an offensive rhythm going early, as evidenced by Jahamai Mashack lacing a corner 3-pointer. The problem was that the Commodores were answering everything.

Jaylen Carey tallied Vanderbilt's third three to go up 18-11 with 15 minutes to go in the first half.

Both teams settled into scoring droughts that each lasted nearly three minutes without a field goal.

Darlinstone Dubar ended Tennessee's scoreless stretch with a three, but what had become a trend, the Commodores clapped back with three-straight scoring possessions, including a Jason Edwards pull-up 3-pointer to stretch Vanderbilt's lead to 30-17 with 8:26 left.

It didn't help that the Vols had gone more than three minutes without a basket for the second time with inside of six minutes to go in the half. Felix Okpara ended the drought, only for Manon to put up a contested layup to put the Commodores up 14.

Vanderbilt, which had come into the game ranked 13th in the league in rebounding, was bullying Tennessee on the boards on both ends of the floor, leading to extended possessions and second-chance opportunities.

The Vols flexed a little muscle near the end of the half after Milicic blocked a shot, then laced a three. A.J. Hoggard scored on Vanderbilt's last possession of the half, but Lanier made a long jumper at the buzzer to trim Tennessee's deficit to 44-31 at the end of a largely forgettable 20 minutes.

As much as Vanderbilt had its way on offense in the first half, it was having little success against the Vols' defense in the early-going of the second. Scores from Okpara and Lanier cut the deficit to nine and Food City Center had life.

Nickel quieted the crowd for a moment with a three, but Zeigler livened it back up with his first basket--a 3-pointer to trim the Commodores' lead to 47-38.

Tennessee continued to chip away, thanks in large part to its defense. It forced turnovers, violations and snagged rebounds, a complete reversal from how it was playing in the first half.

A Zeigler drive led to a score and foul. The ensuing free throw pulled the Vols within five at 50-45 with 13 minutes remaining. Tennessee had all of the momentum as Vanderbilt went three and a half scoreless minutes.

Jordan Gainey swelled the Vols' run to 9-0 with a couple of free throws and get Tennessee within one possession for the first time since the first five minutes of the first half. The Commodores eventually scored, but Zeigler struck back with a three and Tennessee was down just tow, 52-50.

The Vols were all of the way back after Zeigler scored a three from the corner to even the score. Then Lanier followed it up with a go-ahead layup and the Vols had the lead for the first time, 57-55 with less than nine minutes left.

Vanderbilt went back in front, 59-58 after Carey backed down Cade Phillips in the paint and was fouled in the process. He was unable to add to that lead though, missing the free throw, which led to a Zeigler score to put Tennessee back in front again, 60-59.

After trading blows, the Vols started to create some separation when Lanier hit his second 3-pointer to reach the 20-point threshold and pull Tennessee ahead, 67-63.

Vanderbilt didn't go away, though. After Zeigler broke up another tie, Edwards put the Commodores in the lead, 70-69 with a corner three as the clock ticked inside of three minutes.

Free throws from Zeigler put Tennessee in front again by one, but it was Mashack, who had made just four 3-pointers since conference play began, notched his second to give the Vols a 74-70 advantage.

Gainey's drive into an open lane and finish felt like the dagger, but Edwards' three brought Vanderbilt back within a possession with just 44 seconds remaining. Who else by Zeigler to slam the door shut?

His layup, working against two defenders, fell through late in the shot clock and proved to be the final knockout blow.

Tennessee will go back on the road for the next two games.

After getting a week off, the Vols play at No. 8 Texas A&M at Reed Arena in College Station next Saturday (Noon ET, ESPN) in the first two currently ranked road games left on their schedule.

Tennessee will go to LSU next Tuesday before returning home to host No. 2 Alabama March 1.

The Aggies have won five-straight, including a 69-91 win over Arkansas at home on Saturday.

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