Tennessee was all but dead with 36 seconds remaining. But Jahmai Mashack had other ideas.
The senior guard grabbed a massive offensive rebound, made two free throws and hit from 35 feet to deliver the Vols’ a 79-76 win, their fourth straight victory over Alabama.
Here’s three quick takeaways on how Tennessee got it done in miracle fashion.
Gainey, Lanier, Dubar Help Tennessee Survive First Half Foul Trouble
Tennessee avoided the slow start that has plagued them in SEC play and in fact played quite well in the game’s opening minutes. But adversity didn’t take long to hit for Tennessee.
Zakai Zeigler turned the ball over at halftime and was overly aggressive going for the steal. The senior point guard picked up an ill advised second foul with 16:23 remaining in the first half. Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes did show Zeigler some trust and brought him back in to play over six minutes in the first half but his 10 minutes was still well below his average in the game’s first 20 minutes.
That was just the start of the foul trouble for Tennessee. The officials called the first half pretty tight. In fact, Alabama was in the bonus by the midway point in the first half. In the process, Igor Milicic, Cade Phillips, Darlinstone Dubar and Chaz Lanier all picked up two fouls.
Fortunately for Tennessee, Lanier’s second foul was late in the half and not overly costly. Lanier, Dubar and Gainey were all good for the Vols in the first half as they kept Tennessee within four points at the break.
Lanier poured in 12 points in the first half, Gainey scored nine and Dubar hit a pair of three-pointers. They accounted for 27 of Tennessee’s 38 first half points.
Tennessee Doesn’t Dominate The Turnover Battle
In the last three meetings between these two teams, Tennessee dominated the turnover battle. Alabama turned the ball over just 53 times in those games compared to 21 for Tennessee. Both teams entered the top 10 matchup with turnover issues but Alabama did a strong job of limiting its turnovers.
The Crimson Tide turned it over just 12 times against Tennessee which isn’t nothing but also didn’t compare to the last three meetings. That matched Tennessee’s 12 turnovers.
With Alabama doing a better job of taking care of the basketball, its high powered offense found the success it was missing in its last few losses.
The Crimson Tide’s dribble-drive penetration gave Tennessee issues all afternoon. Star guard Mark Sears was particularly brilliant. He was lights out at getting to the rim and finding any open Alabama player while also scoring 24 points in the game.
Alabama hit its shots from the perimeter too, finishing the game nine-of-24 from beyond the arc. That combination led to the Crimson Tide scoring 76 points on a solid 1.18 points per possession.
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Mashack Emphasizes A Miracle Finish
Tennessee seemed all but dead when Alabama went to the foul line up three with 36 seconds remaining. But then a miracle happened.
Labaron Philon split the free throws and Chaz Lanier scored at the bucket with an and-one. He missed the free throw and Jahmai Mashack got the rebound, drew a foul and made two free throws to tie it up.
Then after Tennessee forced a five-second violation with 3.6 seconds left, Alabama busted Tennessee’s inbound play and Mashack had to take it him self. He drilled it from 35-feet and Tennessee improved to 12-0 in games Mashack has made a three-pointer.
Final Stats
Up Next
Tennessee basketball heads to Ole Miss on Wednesday night for its final road matchup of the regular season. Tipoff between the Vols and Rebels is at 9 p.m. ET with the SEC Network broadcasting the game.
One Response
Give Maishack all the credit. He hit 2 free throws to tie the game, and without hesitation, knocked down that winner. That’s what 4byears in the program does. Makes you a “stone cold killer”.