NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Chaz Lanier trickled back to half-court with a smile on his face. He had just buried a jumper in the midst of an 8-0 Tennessee run in the second half, forcing Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl to call a timeout.
Infatuated with runs from both sides, it was that run that did dividends for Tennessee basketball in the second half. The Vols did not look back and pulled away in the closing seconds, 70-65.
As the first game went, the SEC Tournament semifinal matchup proved two Final Four-caliber squads. Tennessee’s (27-6) leading contributor was Zakai Zeigler with 20 points. Auburn (28-5) countered with Johni Broome’s 23 points.
Here’s how the rematch brewed in Nashville.
Quality basketball in opening minutes
The first media timeout did not occur until the 12:55 mark of the first half. It was the quality result of two elite teams.
Tennessee had a slight edge on the offensive end, shooting 75% across eight shots. Chaz Lanier posted eight of the teams’ first 11 points to help guide the offense. Felix Okpara helped on the glass with four rebounds against Broome.
On Auburn’s side, the Tigers matched with 60% from the field while managing a one-point deficit.
Defense was strong from both teams, but tough shots managed to fall on the offensive end. Out of the first break, that remained the case. It was a different story from the first game. Physicality was still strong, but this time around, shots found their way through the bottom of the net.
Pair of runs keeps game competitive
When it looked like Tennessee had the opportunity to put some separation on the scoreboard, Auburn responded quickly.
In an 18-17 game, the Vols pieced together an 8-2 run by Zeigler and Lanier. It gave Tennessee a 26-19 lead, but then the Tigers found a quick response.
After the Vols could not corral a defensive board on a miss by Chad Baker-Mazara at the rim, Broome pulled the board down himself and put a shot up. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl elected to call a timeout, and that’s when it went downhill for the Vols.
With 3:30 left in the first half, Dylan Cardwell stole the ball from Cade Phillips, took it to the other coast and slammed it down over Phillips to cap a 10-0 run that gave Auburn a lead late in the half.
Darlinstone Dubar killed the run with a tough layup at the rim with 2:36 left. From there, the physicality reached a new level and kept the crowd on its feet.
The half concluded with Auburn ahead, 33-32, after Zeigler missed a three at the buzzer.
Auburn strikes out of half, Tennessee answers
As the end of the half went, Auburn rolled with momentum at the start of the second half. The Tigers rolled off a 6-0 scoring run across 1:33 minutes while the Vols failed to make a basket for over two minutes.
It allowed the Tigers to take a five-point lead after trailing by a point. In the meantime, free throws from Gainey and Mashack allowed the Vols to stay in striking distance.
At 14:34, Gainey hit a 3-pointer from the wing to finally give Tennessee a make from the field. It tied the game at 43-all, allowing the crowd to erupt again.
Despite that basket, Tennessee could not do anything more with it. Following the make, the Vols re-entered a drought without a field goal — spanning another mere four minutes.
Tennessee, however, found a different avenue to score. Forcing Auburn into early foul trouble, the Vols reached bonus territory with 13 minutes left in the game. From there, they converted at the line.
It was a Lanier jumper from just inside the perimeter that capped an 8-0 run, allowing Tennessee to take a 55-48 lead with 8:17 left in the game.
Tigers respond, again
Tennessee took a 12-point lead with 6:05 left in the game. But Auburn was still not out of it.
Self-inflicted mistakes by Tennessee ruined the flow and allowed the Tigers right back into the affair. A five-second call on the baseline gave Auburn the ball in a seven-point game. Miles Kelly drained a free throw and it was a game again.
Instead of responding with positive play, the Vols elected to turn the ball over on back-to-back offensive possessions.
Phillips killed the run with a putback on a missed shot, extending the margin back to four points. Tennessee did enough at the end to come away on the defensive end.
Extra, extra
Tennessee records a season-high in free throws made with 25. The Vols shot 92.6% from the line.
Up next
Tennessee basketball will take on the winner of Alabama and Florida in the Saturday afternoon game with the SEC Championship on the line.
