KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Tennessee's Vincent Yarbrough knows why the Vols got off to a rocky start against Elon.

``We were too pumped up when we came out to play,'' he said Monday night after the 17th-ranked Vols settled down in the second half after struggling to a 37-36 halftime lead, and found a groove.

Tennessee outscored Elon 31-9 over the first 10 minutes of the second half to put the game out of reach and beat the Fighting Christians 95-56.

Yarbrough, who had 19 points, keyed the spurt with two dunks and a basket during the first five minutes.

Elon (0-2) capitalized on Tennessee's 32 percent shooting in the first half to keep the game close.

David Hall's 3-pointer, followed by a basket by Andrew Toole with 1:14 left, gave Elon a 36-32 lead. Tony Harris countered with a 3-pointer and Isiah Victor added a layup to give the Vols their halftime lead.

``Elon played the better first half than we did,'' Tennessee coach Jerry Green said. ``Once we got started, though, we played pretty well.''

Ron Slay's 3-pointer with 10:42 left gave the Vols a 68-43 lead. Elon only made six baskets in the second half.

``I was disappointed that Tennessee was the aggressor,'' Elon coach Mark Simons said. ``We were back on our heels and went soft.''

Slay had 17 points for Tennessee, while Victor had 16 points and 13 rebounds. Harris Walker finished with 12 points and Harris had 11 for the Vols, who have won 16 straight home games against non-conference opponents.

Tennessee sophomore Jenis Grindstaff, who sat out last season after transferring from Virginia Tech, may miss this season after tearing a knee ligament in the second half. He shot just 1-for-9 from the field, missed his only free throw and finished with two points.

``Now it looks like he may be out of basketball for the next year,'' Green said.

Toole led Elon with 17 points. Dennis Gaskins had 13 and Morgan Bell added 12.

Elon, of the Big South Conference, was playing its first Southeastern Conference opponent in its first year of Division I competition.