Wow.
I don’t know what to say after that but again…..wow. The Tennessee Volunteers went on an incredibly run during the second half to put away the Auburn Tigers 72-62 in the second round of the SEC Tournament. And in the process, you have to wonder if the Vols put the Tigers’ NCAA lights out in the process.
Nate Ament was back, and he was Nate Ament at his absolute best. 27 points on 7-15 shooting and 9-13 at the line with eight rebounds and three blocks. And minutes restrictions re-schmicksions.
Ament played in 31 points and looked as good as one could have hoped. Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 15 points with three assists and three steals.
This was just an ugly game for the majority of it for Tennessee. This is like when you watch a movie you’ve seen before and skip through parts that you find boring to an exciting third act. That’s how this game will be remembered or viewed if you look back at it as a Vol fan.
The Vols needed a short shot that bounced all around the rim before dropping from Felix Okpara in the half’s final minute to ensure it wasn’t the team’s lowest scoring half of the season. Auburn opened up their biggest lead late in the first half at 32-21 on a three by Tahaad Pettiford, who was on fire for much of the game and finished with a game-high 28 points.
The Tigers opened with a three to open the second half and reestablish a ten-point lead. But then Tennessee started slowly chipping away at the margin, cutting it down to six before Auburn pushed it back to 10 at 51-41.
And, my friends, that’s when the wheels fell clean off for Auburn. Tennessee would embark on a 20-0 run to take the game fully by the throat. Ament got it going with an and-one on a midrange shot followed by two free throws on the next position. Then he knocked down a three from the corner that sent the pro-Tennessee crowd into a frenzy and cut the lead to 51-49. A Gillespie driving layup tied the game at 51, and the Vols weren’t nearly done. After Amari Evans gave Tennessee the lead and Jaylen Carey notched a putback later for two more, Gillespie forced Steven Pearl into a timeout after driving and scoring and falling hard to the floor, getting up fired up as the Tennessee faithful continued to roar.
The Vols would open up their lead to 61-51 before Auburn hit a three to stop the bleeding. But, with just over three minutes left, Ament got an open look on the wing and knocked down another three to push the lead back out, with the announcers saying that it felt like a possible dagger.
And it was. Auburn never got closer than five down the stretch, and Tennessee closed it out at the line.
Up next: the Vols will face Vanderbilt on Friday at 3:30 pm ET in the day’s second quarterfinal following Florida vs. Kentucky.
