NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Mizzou made back-to-back threes in the final two minutes to go up by six points and end Tennessee‘s SEC Tournament run in the quarterfinals with a final of 79-71.
Tyreke Key helped spark the Vols in the first half. The senior forced back-to-back turnovers to start a 6-0 UT run and take a 16-9 lead.
Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi both picked up two fouls causing the Vols to play the final 5:21 of the first half without their senior leaders.
Jahmai Mashack stepped up by hitting a near half-court shot at the buzzer to put UT up 33-30 at the break. The sophomore finished the first half four-for-four from the floor with nine points.
Both teams were trading blows in the second half. Tyreke Key hit back-to-back triples with 10:24 left to give the Vols a 55-53 lead.
Nick Honor hit a huge three with 1:41 left. The Vols opted to go under the screen and Honor hit nothing but the twine for the 72-69 lead. D’Moi Hodge followed it up with a three of his own to go up 75-69.
The Vols had five players in double-digit scoring. Santiago Vescovi led UT in scoring with 17. Tyreke Key poured in 16. Jahmai Mashack finished with 14. Olivier Nkamhoua chipped in 11. Julian Phillips tallied 10.
UP NEXT: The Vols will wait for their fate in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is Sunday at 6 p.m.
