The No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers faced the No. 3 Auburn Tigers in an epic SEC Tournament semifinal on Saturday. The Volunteers (27-6) advanced to the SEC title game with a 70-65 victory over the Tigers (28-5). Auburn will still hope for a No. 1 seed on Sunday, while the Vols will play for the SEC crown.
Tennessee vs. Auburn Box Score
Tennessee
Auburn
Tennessee vs Auburn Game Summary
In a back and forth first half, Tennessee seemed to first take control, pulling ahead 26-19 on a Zakai Zeigler layup with 7:52 to play in the first half. Auburn scored the next 10 points, though, culminating in a Dylan Cardwell dunk to give the Tigers a three-point lead. A pair of Denver Jones free throws gave Auburn a 33-32 lead at halftime.
Auburn opened up a five-point advantage early in the second half, moving ahead 41-36 on a Johni Broome hook shot with 16:43 to play. But a 9-2 Tennessee run game the Vols the lead on a pair of Jordan Gainey free throws with 13:37 to go.
The Vols opened up a 60-49 gap on a Zeigler 3-pointer with 7:17 to play, but Auburn came roaring back. Auburn pulled with 64-62 on a Broome hook shot with 4:10 to play but couldn't creep any closer. A pair of Jahmai Mashack free throws with 14 seconds capped the scoring and secured UT's victory.
Zakai Zeigler had 20 points for UT to lead the Volunteer cause. Jordan Gainey added 15 crucial points off the bench and made 8 of 8 free throw tries. Chaz Lanier added 12 points for the Vols.
Johni Broome had 23 points and seven rebounds, but shot just 5-of-12 from the foul line, which hurt Auburn. Miles Kelly had 13 points, including three 3-pointers, and Denver Jones chipped in 10 points.
Tennessee will face the winner of Florida and Alabama for the SEC Tournament championship tomorrow. That game will be played a 1 p.m. EST on ESPN.
Auburn likely has a No. 1 seed wrapped up for the NCAA Tournament.
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