NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Gonzaga coach Mark Few couldn't remember the last time one of his teams ever experienced foul trouble the way the Bulldogs did Sunday.

However, like every other obstacle they have dealt with in nonconference play, the eighth-ranked Bulldogs pulled through just fine.

Five Bulldogs scored in double figures as Gonzaga survived the whistles and a spirited comeback by Tennessee to post an 86-76 decision at Bridgestone Arena.

"It was pretty severe," Few said of the foul trouble. "To be able to survive that and have some guys play extended minutes with four fouls is a good sign. The depth was huge. We have two freshman bigs, and to see them finish the game and make big plays was good."

For most of the day, it appeared that the Bulldogs wouldn't have to worry about executing in the endgame. They blew out to a 27-6 lead less than eight minutes in on a jumper by reserve forward Zach Collins, capping a stretch which saw them start 10 of 14 from the field and 5 of 7 on 3-point attempts.

Gonzaga (11-0) got to halftime with a 43-29 advantage on a steal and dunk by backup guard Silas Melson just before the first half horn, and they still owned a 53-34 margin when Jordan Mathews canned one of his four 3-pointers with 16:43 left.

However, the Bulldogs almost collapsed under the weight of fouls and the Volunteers' rally. Four Gonzaga players were saddled with four fouls by the under-12 TV timeout of the second half, and two others got there before the under-eight timeout.

As Gonzaga tried to patch together makeshift lineups, Tennessee (6-5) kept working the game. Detrick Mostella's drive with 8:41 left pulled the Vols within 67-58, bringing the crowd of 13,784 into the game for the first time.

Robert Hubbs canned a fallaway jumper with 2:26 remaining, drawing the Vols within 75-71 and fouling out Collins in the process. However, Tennessee couldn't come up with a stop, Josh Perkins drilling a pullup jumper from the foul line with two minutes left.

The Bulldogs then iced the game by sinking 9 of 10 foul shots in the final 70 seconds.

"You could see that when the game got close," Vols coach Rick Barnes said, "they knew where they wanted to go for a good shot. They made their free throws and they closed out (defensive) possessions with a rebound.

"We could have been the talk of college basketball if we had won this game. But give Gonzaga the credit. I think they're going to be an even bigger story because I think they have a chance to go into the (NCAA) Tournament unbeaten."

Nigel Williams-Goss stuffed the stat sheet for the Bulldogs with 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Perkins added 15 points on just five field-goal tries, while Mathews finished with 13. Collins and 7-foot-1 center Przemek Karnowski contributed 10 points apiece.

Mostella came off the bench to pace Tennessee with 17 points. Grant Williams hit for 11, and Hubbs, the team's leading scorer coming into the game at 16.5 points per game, was held to 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

Mathews, one of several Gonzaga players to take a turn at guarding Hubbs, said it was tough to get into a flow over the last 30 minutes due to the fouls.

"But you just have to keep playing," he said. "This game helps a lot. We're going to face some tough road crowds this year."

NOTES: Tennessee freshman F John Fulkerson (elbow) missed the game and is expected to be out six to eight weeks. Fulkerson, who started the previous six games, is averaging 4.7 points and 4.6 rebounds. ... Gonzaga is one of just two Division I teams, according to kenpom.com, to rank in the top 20 in defensive 3-point percentage and ratio of 3-pointers allowed to overall field goal tries. ... The Bulldogs' average point differential of 19.6 is 13th in Division I.