No. 6 Alabama falls to No. 5 Tennessee on buzzer beating shot in Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 6 Alabama fell on the road in heartbreaking fashion to No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday afternoon, with the Vols hitting a game-winning three as time expired to win 79-76. The loss drops the Crimson Tide to 23-6 on the year, 12-4 in SEC play.

Alabama went with the same starting lineup that’s been bringing it success lately, rolling out Labaron Philon, Mark Sears, Chris Youngblood, Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Alabama started the game trailing Tennessee 7-2 quickly, with the Vols’ Chaz Lanier scoring all seven points. The Tide responded with a quick 7-0 run to take a 9-7 lead into the first media timeout, sparked by forcing three Vol turnovers and getting some runout buckets. Also notably, Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler committed two fouls in the early minutes.

The officials got heavily involved over the next few minutes. Alabama got put in the bonus with over 12 minutes to go in the half, but four straight missed free throws kept the Crimson Tide from being able to take immediate advantage. The Vols held a slim 18-16 lead at the under-12 timeout.

As the first half drew near to an end, the game continued to be extremely tight. Tennessee held a slim lead anywhere from around one to four points throughout the middle portion of the half, with Alabama hanging around but not being able to jump out and take the lead. The fouls racked up, with both teams being in the bonus for a large portion of the half.

Alabama closed the half with some excellent play. The Tide went on a 10-0 run to take a 6-point lead with just under two minutes to go, and entered the break leading 42-38. Sears led the team at halftime with 12 points, but Philon might have been the best player that half with eight points, three assists and three steals.

Alabama stood its ground to start the second half, tying Tennessee 7-7 over the first four minutes and still holding a 4-point lead at the first media timeout since halftime. Philon continued to be extremely active defensively, picking up his fourth steal of the game en route to a Mo Dioubate runout bucket early in the half.

The Tide continued to hold Tennessee at arm’s length approaching the midway point of the second half, holding a 59-53 lead at the under-12 timeout. Jarin Stevenson finally got in on the action with a corner three, his first made look from downtown of the game.

Tennessee found an offensive rhythm after the under-12, working its way back into the game steadily. The Vols worked all the way back to tie the game at 66-66 headed into the under-8 timeout, which came with 6:31 to go in the game. Tennessee kept pushing over the next two and a half minutes, and took a 2-point lead with four minutes to go.

With the game tied at 70 and two minutes to play, Sears hit a huge three with the shot clock nearly expiring. Tennessee came back and tied it, giving Alabama the ball on the last possession. Alabama got called for a 5-second violation, giving the Vols a chance, and they hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Mark Sears — 24 points

Labaron Philon — 13 points, 4 assists, 5 steals

Grant Nelson — 7 points, 12 rebounds

WHAT’S NEXT

Alabama will head back to Coleman Coliseum for its final home game of the season on Wednesday night, taking on No. 3 Florida. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN.

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