Jordan Gainey’s coast-to-coast buzzer beater lifted No. 1 Tennessee over Illinois, 66-64, in a back-and-forth heavyweight battle from Champaign.
With less than six seconds remaining in a tie game, Gainey shot down the court like a cannonball and carved his way through the Illini defense to shock, stun, and silence an Illinois crowd that had been deafening throughout the night.
Gainey’s game-winning layup capped off a 23-point night for the senior guard as he recorded 18 points in the final 20 minutes of play alone. Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler picked up his fourth foul less than two minutes into the second half and when the Vols needed Gainey to step up, he did and more.
UNREAL FINISH
VOLS WINNNNNNNN pic.twitter.com/7KhizezTW2
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) December 15, 2024
More from RTI: Three Quick Takeaways As Jordan Gainey’s Heroics Lift Tennessee Past Illinois
Gainey finished the night with 23 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor and 3-of-6 shooting from three-point range. The son of Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey also recorded 8-of-9 free throw attempts on the night.
Tennessee needed every bit of Gainey’s 23 points. Zakai Zeigler only played 25 minutes on Saturday night and sat out most of the second half with four fouls. And while Chaz Lanier finished with an impressive 17 points, he also fouled out late in the game to put even more weight on Gainey’s shoulders.
Tennessee struggled offensively in the game but Gainey’s 23 points and game-winning coast-to-coast layup proved to be the difference in the contest.
the ONIONS pic.twitter.com/qPP1SY6xHL
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) December 15, 2024
For more takeaways on No. 1 Tennessee’s win over Illinois to move to 10-0 on the season, check out RTI’s on-site observations here.
Tennessee holds Illinois without a field goal in the final five minutes. Jordan Gainey is the MVP of the game.
Final Stats ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/GEJlZCkLeo
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) December 15, 2024
