By SCOTT FELTS
Regulation wasn’t enough and neither was one overtime. Ultimately, after a six-point run in the middle of the second OT, Tennessee put away Texas A&M and escaped with an 87-82 win on Tuesday night.
The Vols (12-5, 2-2) were not only playing for their second Southeastern Conference win, but to stay in The Associated Press Top 25. The Vols had made 90 straight AP rankings, a school record and the second-longest active streak in Division 1.
A game that had double-digit runs by each team in the first half saw the Aggies (13-4, 3-1) lead by four at halftime. Tennessee didn’t take its first lead until 5:29 remained in the second half. Both teams traded the advantage down the stretch until the final buzzer of regulation.
Let’s go Beyond the Box Score for a deeper look at this SEC thriller.
Timely Free Throws: The Vols came into the game making 41 of 55 free throws in the last four minutes and overtime of games this season. Ja’Kobi Gillespie (14-for-14) and Bishop Boswell (4-for-4) were the only two perfect shooters. Tonight, however, the Vols shot 12-for-17 and Boswell missed the first of such attempts in a frantic exchange at the end of regulation. The Aggies shot 12 of 19 from the foul line over the same span.
Nate Ament missed a tying free throw with under 13 seconds in regulation but Boswell rebounded and went to the line for a chance to take the lead. He missed his second as well and the ball went out of bounds on A&M with 10.6 seconds remaining. After a replay, Gillespie missed a potential game-tying 3 before the second half ended.
Turnover Success: Tennessee is 9-0 this season when scoring more points off turnovers than their opponents and just 2-5 when the Vols don’t. Today both teams scored 20 off of their opponents mistakes.
Three-Point Shooting Misfires: Through three SEC games, Tennessee was shooting 39.5% from 3-point range. No other team in the league was above 37% coming into Tuesday. In the game’s first eight minutes on Tuesday, however, the Vols started the game 0-for-6 from 3 on their way to a 3 of 15 showing in the first half. By contrast, the Aggies started 3-for-6, ending the half 7 of 20. For the game, neither team was impressive with the Vols an ugly 6 of 24 (25%) and Texas A&M 13-for-43 (30%)
Roasted Ruben: Sophomore guard Ruben Dominguez came in leading the Aggies in scoring at 13.7 points per game. He had nine at the end of the first half but finished just 4-for-11 from the field, all on 3s.
Amazing Ament: Vols highly-touted freshman Nate Ament continued his growth with an impressive stat line. He led all scorers, tying his career high with 23 points, and also had seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks on 7-for-16 shooting from the field and 9-for-11 from the foul line. Ten of his 23 points came in the overtime periods.
Up Next: The unranked Kentucky Wildcats, who were 10-6, 1-2 before a Wednesday tilt at LSU, come to town on Saturday at noon.
Tip Ins: Texas A&M is one of 14 schools Rick Barnes has defeated with three different teams. … Tuesday was Felix Okpara‘s 100th career start and 62nd consecutive. … The Vols have won nine of the last 11 in the series with the Aggies. … Before Tuesday night, A&M was 12-0 this season when leading at the half.