Tennessee forward/guard Admiral Schofield after the Vols lost to Auburn 84-64 in the championship game of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.
Tennessee guard Jordan Bowden after the Vols lost to Auburn 84-64 in the championship game of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.
Tennessee forward John Fulkerson after the Vols lost to Auburn 84-64 in the championship game of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Facing an eight-point deficit with three minutes left, No. 8 Tennessee rallied in the final moments to down No. 4 Kentucky, 82-78, in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena.
For the second straight year, the Vols (29-4, 15-3 SEC) have advanced to the tournament championship game. The Big Orange will take on No. 22 Auburn in the final on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (ESPN).
Tennessee’s 29 wins stand as the second-most in program history. Only the 2007-08 Volunteers logged more victories (31).
UT struggled to get any offense going for the majority of the second half Saturday , missing 15 out of 20 shots during a 13-minute stretch. However, Tennessee rallied in the face of adversity.
After UK’s Keldon Johnson drove to the basket and converted an “and-1” play, the Wildcats (27-6, 15-3 SEC) had all the momentum, and Big Blue Nation was roaring with 2:58 left to play. SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams responded 13 seconds later by drawing a foul and knocking down both free throws.
After a turnover on the in-bounds by Kentucky, Williams got the ball in the paint, drew another foul and converted an “and-1” to cut the lead to three points. Kentucky’s PJ Washington then hit a jumper on the other end to try and halt the swing in momentum, but Tennessee’s All-SEC wing, Admiral Schofield, buried his fourth 3-pointer of the day with 1:59 left.
Tennessee got a stop on the other end of the floor and had a chance to take the lead with less than two minutes to play. All-SEC point guard Jordan Bone drove around a screen set by Schofield and passed the ball out to the corner, where Williams hit a clutch 3-pointer to give the Vols their first lead since the 8:46 mark.
Washington regained the lead for Kentucky, getting an offensive rebound and getting an uncontested tip-in, but Tennessee would not be denied. Lamonte Turner stepped up with 30 seconds left and drained a 3-pointer to give the Vols an insurmountable lead.
Bone iced the game in the final seconds, knocking down all four of his free throws to keep the Big Orange up by two possessions the remainder of the way.
Tennessee’s All-SEC trio paved the way for the come-from-behind victory, standing as the top three scorers in the game. Schofield finished with a game-high 21 points, while Williams recorded 20 points, 17 of which came in the second half, seven rebounds and was 9-of-11 from the charity stripe. Bone added 18 points and five assists.
The first half was everything the top-10 matchup was hyped up to be, with both teams swapping baskets and making highlight plays. Neither team led by more than five points in the period, but Tennessee hit its final three shots of the half to take a 36-34 advantage into halftime.
Schofield had the hot hand early on, connecting on three 3-pointers to lead all scorers with 13 points. Bone and Jordan Bowden also knocked down a pair of threes each to keep the momentum going. As a team, the Vols shot an impressive 78 percent (7-of-9) from beyond the arc in the first half.
Kentucky had their big plays, though, including a deep trey by Reid Travis in the final seconds of the half to cut the deficit to two points. The Wildcats dominated the boards in the opening 20 minutes, owning an 18-11 advantage on the glass, and tallied seven offensive rebounds for nine second-chance points.
PDF BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY | VIDEO: TENNESSEE POSTGAME INTERVIEW | VIDEO: BARNES POSTGAME INTERVIEW | VIDEO: POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
-UT Athletics
AUBURN, Ala. — A four-run fifth inning by No. 15 Auburn doomed No. 21 Tennessee in a 5-2 loss on Saturday night at Plainsman Park.
The Tigers scored four runs on three hits and three walks, all with two outs in the inning. Junior pitcher Zach Linginfelter was one out away from getting out of the jam, but an RBI single followed by a pair of walks kept the inning alive ended the night for the junior right hander.
Linginfelter was charged with his first loss of the season after allowing five runs (four earned) and giving up a season-high five walks in 4.2 innings.
Andre Lipcius led the Volunteers at the plate with a pair of hits to extend his hit streak to 14 games. Freshman Connor Pavolony also reached base twice with a walk and his first-career hit in SEC play, but the Big Orange struggled for the most part with just six total hits against Auburn’s pitchers.
After being shut out for the first time this season in Friday’s series opener, the Vols got on the board early on Saturday night with a solo home run by Pete Derkay in the bottom of the second. It was the second-career homer for the junior and his first since his freshman year.
The Tigers scratched across an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth to even things up. Will Holland scored from third on a fielder’s choice after leading off the inning with a walk. Lipcius fielded the ball cleanly at third but his throw home was in the dirt and allowed Holland to score.
Three walks cost the Vols dearly as Auburn scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth, all with two outs, to take a 5-1 lead. Matt Scheffler singled to shallow right field to bring home the go-ahead run before back-to-back walks loaded the bases and ended the night for Linginfelter as he was pulled in favor of lefty Redmond Walsh.
UT looked to be out of the inning when Lipcius fielded a ground ball off the bat of Rankin Woley and went to second for the force out. The runner was initially called out at second base, but the play was overturned after being reviewed. One batter later, Edouard Julien singled to right field to score two more runs and put the Tigers up by four.
Derkay nearly had his second home run of the night in the top of the sixth but the ball hooked just foul of the right-field foul pole. Derkay flied out to left field a few pitches later to end the inning as UT stranded a runner on second.
The Vols got a run back in the eighth on an RBI single by Alerick Soularie. The sophomore drove in Jay Charleston from second, who started a two-out rally with a single of his own two batters earlier.
Pavolony drew a two-out walk in the top of the ninth but Tigers’ reliever Elliott Anderson struck out Evan Russell one batter later to end the game and secure the series victory for Auburn.
Freshman Brooks Fuller earned his first-collegiate win after allowing just one run on two hits in 3.2 innings of relief. Fuller replaced Tigers’ starter Jack Owen, who looked to be pulled for medical reasons after he threw just two pitches in the top of the fifth inning.
NOTABLE
DERKAY GOES YARD: Pete Derkay drove in Tennessee’s first run of the series with a no-doubt, solo home run into the visitor’s bullpen in right center. It was just the second-career long ball for Derkay and his first this season. The Acworth, Ga., native just missed a second home run in the top of the sixth on a ball that hooked just foul down the right-field line.
STRUGGLES ON THE PLAINS CONTINUE: Plainsman Park has not been a friendly venue to the Vols over the years as UT has won just three of their last 14 games there. With Saturday’s loss, the Big Orange have now dropped five straight series at Auburn.
UP NEXT: The Vols will look to salvage a game in tomorrow afternoon’s series finale. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. ET and the game will be streamed online via SEC Network+ and the WatchESPN app. Fans can also listen to John Wilkerson call the action on the Vol Network radio broadcast (FM 99.1 / AM 990).
Box Score (PDF) | Season Stats (PDF) | SEC Stats (PDF)
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 6/5 Tennessee used a strong performance in the circle from freshman Ashley Rogers and a five-run first inning to secure a 5-1 win over BYU in the fourth game of the Tennessee Invitational on Saturday.
Rogers tossed 7.0 innings in which she allowed just one run on three hits while striking out 11 Cougars. The Athens, Tenn., native picked up her eighth win of the season.
Offensively, senior Haley Bearden (2-for-3, 2 RBI) led UT in the outing while recording her seventh home run of the season. Four other Lady Vols notched hits in the game.
Tennessee came out swinging in the bottom of the first to take a 5-0 lead on four hits and three free passes as UT’s first six batters reached base.
Aubrey Leach and Chelsea Seggern advanced to first on a walk and hit-by-pitch, respectively, before Kaili Phillips hit an RBI single to right. Seggern then scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. With a runner on second, Bearden blasted a long ball to center field. The Orange and White’s final run of the frame and eventually the game scored on a single by Jenna Holcomb five at-bats later.
BYU plated its lone score in the fourth, using two hits and a groundout.
Both teams were held scoreless the remainder of the game for the 5-1 final.
ON DECK: Tennessee plays No. 11/13 Texas in the final game of the Tennessee Invitational on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on SECN+/WatchESPN App. A live radio stream will also be available on UTSports.com, the UT Gameday App and AM 990.
Box Score | Highlights | Co-Head Coach Karen Weekly Postgame Interview
-UT Athletics
Tennessee guard Jordan Bowden with our Vince Ferrara 1-on-1 after the Vols defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 82-78 in the semifinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.
Tennessee forward/guard Admiral Schofield after the Vols defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 82-78 in the semifinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.
Tennessee guard Lamonte Turner after the Vols defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 82-78 in the semifinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.
Tennessee guard Jordan Bone after the Vols defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 82-78 in the semifinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.
