Jordan Gainey's play at Illinois was so much more than the final 5.7 seconds
The final 5.7 seconds was just the cherry on top. Jordan Gainey going coast-to-coast on the final possession and scoring at the buzzer to lift No. 1 Tennessee to a 66-64 win at Illinois was nothing more than what he had spent the previous 18 minutes doing.
With Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier limited by foul trouble, Gainey scored 18 of his 23 points — the most he’s scored in a Tennessee uniform — in the second half, keeping his team in the game when time after time it looked like Illinois was creating all the separation it needed.
Gainey made six shots in the second half, including three 3-pointers and one three-point play, before he made the contested layup to win the game.
‘When (Gainey) gets his feet set and shoots it, I think it’s going in’
“Offensively,” head coach Rick Barnes said during his postgame press conference, “he’s one of those guys, really, when he gets his feet set and shoots it, I think it’s going in.
“And he’s become a terrific downhill driver. He’s been able to start scoring at all three levels.”
Gainey made a three to tie the game with 2:27 left, after getting Tennessee back within one point on two free throws at the 3:23 mark.
He hit another three to tie the game with 8:26 to go, then hit a go-ahead three 54 seconds later. He hit a jumper to get Tennessee back within two and scored on a drive to the rim and got fouled, making the free throw to get the Vols back within one after the Illini had stretched the lead to six.
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Gainey scored his 18 points in the second half without committing a turnover while playing point guard for much of his 18 minutes after halftime, with Zeigler sidelined after picking up his fourth foul with 18:13 left.
He replaced Lanier’s scoring, too. Lanier scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, but fouled out with 4:38 left after picking up his third foul three minutes earlier. He went 1-for-7 in the second half.
Gainey played 34 minutes in total, scoring his 23 points on 6-for-14 shooting from the floor, including 3-for-6 at the 3-point line and 8-for-9 at the foul line.
“Really for the offense and my teammates,” Gainey said, “we all have the next-man mentality. We know we faced a little bit of adversity throughout the game, but we knew we just had to step up to the plate and handle the business.
“Se were all ready for the moment, and everyone that came in the game made a big impact.”
