NASHVILLE, Tenn. — SEC Tournament action resumes with Tennessee basketball facing top-seeded Auburn in the semifinals. A win for either side signifies a berth to the SEC Championship game.
Tennessee took down Texas with a 23-point performance from the hometown kid, Chaz Lanier. Meanwhile, Auburn escaped Ole Miss with help from Johni Broome’s 23 points and 15 rebounds.
It is a rematch for two physical squads that met once this season in Neville Arena. Auburn took the game 53-51.
Follow along for live updates from The Daily Beacon.
0:29.2 2H: Felix Okpara gets called for his fifth foul at the rim on Johni Broome.
3:56 2H: Tennessee has turned the ball over on three consecutive offensive possessions.
4:48 2H: Just as this game has gone, Auburn responds with a run of its own — rather fast. The Tigers sit on an 8-0 run over the last 1:00, cutting the deficit to four points.
6:59 2H: Tennessee is called for a foul on the defensive end. It comes after Zakai Zeigler buries a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Tennessee its largest lead of the game at 11.
11:54 2H: After Gainey hit a three to end a mere three-minute drought without a basket, the Vols are back in a drought worth 2:40 again. Tennessee trails by one.
13:37 2H: Auburn fouls twice in a short span and Tennessee is already in the bonus.
16:19 2H: Jordan Gainey is stuffed by Dylan Cardwell at the rim and a foul is called. The refs have to break up the teams on the baseline as things are chippy.
HALFTIME: Auburn 33, Tennessee 32
After a strong first eight minutes of clean basketball, whistles picked up across the remainder of the half. Auburn driving to the rim has caused Tennessee issues, while the Vols are hanging around with tough baskets of its own.
4:29 1H: Auburn is responding strongly out of the timeout. The crowd has flipped to pro-Tiger and Auburn is on a 6-0 run over the last three minutes.
Tennessee 26, Auburn 25
7:22 1H: Tennessee goes on a quick 8-2 run to create minor separation, but the Tigers answer with a second-chance putback to cut the deficit to five.
Tennessee 26, Auburn 21
10:53 1H: Zakai Zeigler gets a tough layup to fall on offense, and Darlinstone Dubar matches with a tough contest on the defensive end.
Tennessee 20, Auburn 17
12:55 1H: Fast pace is the result of 29 combined points in just over seven minutes of play. Tennessee is performing strongly on the offensive end with 15 points on 75% shooting, with Lanier ahead of the pack at eight points.
Tennessee 15, Auburn 14
16:33 1H: Lanier drains a three over Johni Broome and is up to eight points for the Vols.
19:35 1H: Chaz Lanier opens the scoring with a contest three from the wing.
20:00 1H: Tennessee wins the opening tip.
STARTERS
Tennessee: Zakai Zeigler, Chaz Lanier, Jahmai Mashack, Igor Milicic Jr., Felix Okpara
Auburn: Denver Jones, Miles Kelly, Chad Baker-Mazara, Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell
Revisiting Jan. 25
Tennessee took Auburn down to the wire in Neville Arena on Jan. 28. The game came down to the final seconds, and it was a Miles Kelly 3-point make from the corner that proved to be the winner.
The Vols had the chance to win at the buzzer, but Zakai Zeigler missed a three from the corner that allowed the Tigers to escape on their home court.
It was Johni Broome’s return from injury, and he was too much for Tennessee to handle. After spraining his ankle early in SEC play, Broome returned to the floor for the matchup with the Vols and handed Tennessee the loss with 16 points and 14 pivotal rebounds.
This time around, things will need to be different for Tennessee to come out on top.
Zakai Zeigler struggled in that outing. He could not make a shot from distance, coming up 0-for-6 from deep, including a miss in the final seconds to seal the game. Meanwhile, Jahmai Mashack similarly struggled from deep. Auburn elected to leave him open from beyond the arc, and Mashack passed up the opportunities.
With another chance to defeat the third-ra
