Felix Okpara shines for No. 20 Tennessee in win over Rice after JP Estrella injury

Felix Okpara set a career-high with 20 points and was one of four Tennessee players that scored in double-figures in a 91-66 win over Rice Monday night at Food City Center. But now the waiting game begins for an injury update for forward JP Estrella.

Estrella, who starred for the Vols over the first three games of the season, injured his left leg late in the first half and was ruled out for the game at halftime. He would late return to the end of the bench with an ice pack and towel over the injured knee.

Nate Ament scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds No. 20 Tennessee (4-0) while Okpara added eight rebounds and two assists to go with his 20 points. Ja’Kobi Gillespie had 17 points, eight assists and four rebounds.

Ethan Burg scored 11 off the bench to go with 11 rebounds, four rebounds and three assists and Jaylen Carey had nine points, five rebounds and two assists.

Rice (2-3) got a team-high 19 from Nick Anderson to lead three Owls in double figures.

Estrella left the game with 1:26 left in the first half, having to be helped off the court by team trainer Chad Newman and strength coach Garrett Medenwald under each arm.

He was hurt in a scrum for a loose ball on the defensive end, going down and immediately grabbing his left knee in obvious pain. He was helped off the floor by being evaluated by trainers and went straight to the tunnel behind the Tennessee bench.

Estrella entered the game averaging 17.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 19.7 minutes per game off the bench. He had four points and a rebound before leaving with the game against Rice.

Estrella scored a career-high 23 points and had 10 rebounds in the 99-66 win over North Florida on Wednesday. It was his second straight double-double, after he had 17 points and 11 rebounds against Northern Kentucky last Saturday. He had 12 points and five rebounds in the season-opening win over Mercer on November 3.

Bishop Boswell misses second straight game with injury

Bishop Bowell missed his second straight game with what Tennessee announced is a left leg injury that the sophomore guard sustained in practice. 

His status is day-to-day moving forward, according to the Vols, and he will continue to be evaluated. The sophomore guard missed last Wednesday’s 99-66 win over North Florida with a foot injury.

Boswell started the first two games of the season, totaling 11 points and 13 rebounds in 39 minutes. He played 17 minutes against Mercer and 22 against Northern Kentucky, going 3-for-5 from the 3-point line in the two games. 

Boswell started in the exhibition loss against Duke on October 26, but was scoreless in his 24 minutes on the floor. 

Up Next: Tennessee vs. Tennessee St., Thursday, 7 p.m. ET

Tennessee will be back home at Food City Center on Thursday, hosting Tennessee State in a 7 p.m. Eastern Time start streaming on SEC Network+. The Tennessee State game wraps up the five-game homestand to start the season, which included earlier wins over Mercer, Northern Kentucky and North Florida.

Tennessee goes to the Players Era Men’s Championship in Las Vegas, starting the 18-team tournament with a game against Rutgers on Monday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on TNT and HBO Max. The Vols face No. 2 Houston on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET on TNT and HBO Max and then will face a third to-be-determined opponent on either Wednesday or Thursday. 

The other 15 teams are Creighton, Baylor, Kansas, Notre Dame, St. John’s, Iowa State, Syracuse, Auburn, Oregon, Gonzaga, Alabama, Michigan, UNLV, Maryland and San Diego State.