Brian Williams hit a short jumper at the buzzer and Tennessee escaped Athens with a hard-earned 57-55 win over Georgia. The two teams combined for just 48 second-half points and struggled to get quality shots.
“It was an SEC East game,” said a devastated Mark Fox after the loss. “They made more plays than we did. That’s the bottom line.”
Four players ended the game with four fouls each as neither team was able to score consistently in the second. But the Vols always seemed to have an answer for the hyped-up Bulldog crowd and the home team who could not put together a serious run down the stretch.
Georgia (13-4, 2-2) never held more than a three-point lead after the 3:54 mark of the first half. The largest lead for either team in the second half was a four-point edge by the Vols with 7:58 left.
Georgia held the game’s largest lead at 28-21 with 4:43 left in the first, but Tennessee (12-6, 2-2) went on a 14-5 run to end the half and entered the locker room with a 35-33 advantage.
Two late threes by the Bulldogs tied the game and sent it to the final minute with the outcome still in doubt. The Vols took over with 58 seconds left after a Dustin Ware three tied it at 57.
Then, Tennessee snared two crucial offensive rebounds, which proved to be decisive. Melvin Goins grabbed one and set up the offense for a final shot. Williams then took another offensive rebound off a missed three by Tobias Harris and scored at the buzzer. After the officials confirmed the bucket’s validity with instant replay, the Vol win was cemented.
“I’m like Kobe (Bryant) … last shot, fadeaway … Sportscenter Top Ten,” said Williams about his game-winner. “That’s the biggest shot I’ve ever made.”
The last minute may have summarized the evening for Georgia in a nutshell: getting outrebounded.
“We lost the rebounding battle today for the first time in a while,” said Fox. “That’s going to cost you points.”
It was Georgia’s first game since a 550-mile bus trip took them from Athens to Nashville to Oxford, Miss., and back to Athens this week.
“I feel like we didn’t play our “A” game tonight,” said guard Travis Leslie, who finished with 14 points.
“I was concerned that we may be a little bit fatigued emotionally coming off a win,” said Fox. “I told the staff before the game that I wasn’t pleased with the energy from them but that’s all part of the game”
Trey Thompkins ended the game with 13 points on 4 of 13 shooting while Gerald Robinson scored 12 first half points and finished the game with 14. Surprisingly, Ware led the team in rebounding with seven as the Vols held the overall edge in boards at 34-28.
Jeremy Price and Travis Leslie each ended the game with four fouls while Williams and Scotty Hopson each had four as well.
Loading ...
