DeAndre Liggins scored 19 points and Josh Harrellson chipped in 16 as No. 18 Kentucky spoiled Bruce Pearl’s return to the sidelines with a 73-61 victory over visiting Tennessee on Tuesday.

Brandon Knight added 12 points and Terrence Jones pulled down 11 rebounds for the Wildcats (17-6, 5-4 SEC), who avoided falling into last place in the hotly-contested SEC East Division.

Pearl, who was suspended for the first eight games of SEC play for misleading NCAA investigators, could not provide his team with the lift it needed to get by Kentucky, which ripped off a 14-1 run in the first half to take a 33-14 lead.

The Volunteers (15-9, 5-4) cut it to 35-28 with a pair of 3-pointers before the break, but the Wildcats opened the second half with an 11-2 burst and led by as much as 52-34 with 12:46 remaining.

It doesn’t get any easier for Pearl in his second game, as Tennessee visits No. 19 Florida on Saturday desperately clinging to NCAA Tournament hopes at this point.