KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee used another explosive output from sophomore Scotty Hopson on Wednesday night to win its second and final exhibition game of the preseason, a 97-58 victory over Division II Lincoln Memorial University.

Hopson finished with 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Last week he scored 20 points to lead the Vols in a 117-79 win against North Alabama.

"There were areas I wanted to improve on tonight and I thought we did," Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl said. "I thought our defense was better. We would have liked to have shot the ball better. I knew we would struggle because they are a better defensive team. This was a little bit better test for us tonight."

Tennessee did struggle from 3-point range early, shooting 3-of-13 in the first half. The Vols finished 9-of-26 from long range and shot 45.5 percent from the field. They held LMU to 33.3 percent shooting and forced 30 turnovers. UT also won the battle of the boards, 48-34.

Despite leading the Vols in scoring for the second time in as many games, Hopson said the biggest improvement the team has made is defensively.

"We're starting to defend well and teams are shooting 30 and 40 percent on us," he said. "And I think we're starting to rebound better. Coach Pearl is keeping us confident and allowing us to go out there and do what we've got to do, and it's really helping me out."

Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism each had 11 points for the Vols, and Chism grabbed eight rebounds.

D'Mario Curry led LMU with 24 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the field.

Tennessee jumped out to an early lead in the contest but the Railsplitters fought back to cut the margin to 11 points midway through the first half. From then on, it was all Vols.

A three-point play by freshman Kenny Hall and a 3-pointer from the wing by Hopson capped a 14-1 run for UT to make it 45-22. The Vols continued their streak in the second half and pushed the lead past 30 when Chism drained a pair of 3-pointers along with one from freshman Skylar McBee.

Pearl then shuffled players in and out the rest of the way to experiment with different lineups as the Vols pulled away.

"We did not play as well as we hoped, but I thought a lot that was Tennessee. They took us out of what we wanted to run. Obviously the size differential and athleticism differential is significant, as it should be," LMU Coach Josh Schertz said after the game.

"I thought our guys played hard. I thought we competed until the final buzzer, and that was our mindset coming in. I wish we would have played a little better, a little cleaner. But honestly, they are one of the top 10 teams in the country and really talented."

"It was a great experience. We had a great two days together and it brought us closer together as a team. We stayed overnight, and practiced at Thompson-Boling Arena this morning. Here our guys played in front of 18,000 people. In an environment like this for a school like ours, maybe for them it is an once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is one of the great moments they will treasure forever."

LMU opens up the season on Nov. 17 when they host Tennessee Temple in Harrogate. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in the Tex Turner Arena.