Zakai Zeigler scored 20 factors, Jordan Gainey had 15 and No. 8 Tennessee held off No. 3 Auburn 70-65 within the first semifinal sport of the SEC event Saturday afternoon in Nashville.
Chaz Lanier added 12 factors for the fourth-seeded Volunteers (27-6), who will play both No. 4-ranked Florida or No. 5 Alabama within the championship sport Sunday afternoon.
Johni Broome had 23 factors for the top-seeded Tigers (28-5), Miles Kelly contributed 13 and Denver Jones scored 10.
The lead modified arms 4 occasions on the outset of the second half earlier than Jones made two free throws and Broome added a basket from the lane to present Auburn a 41-36 lead. Gainey then accounted for seven factors throughout a 9-2 spurt to present Tennessee a 45-43 lead.
The Tigers and Volunteers went backwards and forwards from there, with the lead altering one other 4 occasions earlier than Lanier’s jumper accomplished an 8-0 run that gave the Volunteers a 55-48 benefit.
Dylan Cardwell made a free throw to cease the run, however Tennessee expanded the result in 62-50 as Auburn went greater than 5 minutes with out making a area objective.
The Tigers, although, scored 10 straight to get inside two factors with simply over 4 minutes remaining earlier than Cade Phillips’ basket ended Tennessee’s field-goal drought of practically 4 minutes.
The Tigers acquired inside three twice, however Chad Baker-Mazara missed a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left. The Volunteers’ Jahmai Mashack made two free throws to seal the upset.
The rating was tied twice and the lead modified arms 5 occasions early on earlier than Igor Milicic Jr. made a layup to present Tennessee a 13-10 lead. Auburn acquired inside one level on three events earlier than Zeigler made a layup and Lanier hit a jumper for a 22-17 lead.
Zeigler’s layup pushed the result in seven earlier than Broome scored six factors throughout a 10-0 run that gave the Tigers a 29-26 lead. Darlinstone Dubar’s layup ended a 5½-minute scoring drought for the Volunteers and Milicic’s jumper gave them a one-point lead.
That was the primary of 4 lead modifications down the stretch, the final of which got here when Jones made two free throws to present Auburn a 33-32 halftime lead.
–Subject Degree Media