In a thrilling SEC Tournament quarterfinal in Nashville, the fifth-seeded Tennessee Volunteers faced off against the No. 4 seed Vanderbilt Commodores, ultimately falling 75-68 in a hard-fought battle.
Coming off a comeback win over Auburn, Tennessee stuck with their starting five: Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Bishop Boswell, Nate Ament, JP Estrella, and Felix Okpara. Vandy struck first, but Tennessee quickly responded with a 6-0 run to take an early lead.
The game was a defensive slugfest, with six lead changes in the first 15 minutes. Estrella's foul trouble added to the tension as the first half wound down.
Gillespie was clutch right before the buzzer, notching a team-high nine points and sending the teams into halftime knotted at 31-31. Duke Miles was on fire for Vanderbilt, leading all scorers with 13 points on perfect shooting.
The second half started sluggishly, marred by fouls and reviews. Gillespie's back-to-back threes ignited a 6-0 run for Tennessee, giving them a 45-38 advantage. But Vanderbilt answered with an 11-3 surge, reclaiming the lead at 49-48 with just under 12 minutes remaining.
As the clock ticked down, Tyler Tanner's transition bucket pushed Vandy ahead 55-50. The lead swung like a pendulum, with Tennessee narrowing the gap to two points with five minutes left. Despite their efforts, the Vols couldn't quite close the gap, as Vanderbilt's timely responses and clutch free throws secured their 75-68 victory.
Duke Miles was unstoppable, finishing with 30 points on 11-14 shooting. Gillespie led Tennessee with an impressive 21 points, four assists, and two rebounds.
With this win, Vanderbilt advanced to the SEC Tournament semifinals to face top-seeded Florida. Meanwhile, Tennessee, now 22-11, awaits their NCAA Tournament seeding, set to be announced on Sunday, March 15.