Under head coach Rick Barnes, Tennessee has only ever lost six games to in-state opponents. Despite a chance to tie it in the final seconds, the Vols added another, dropping to Vanderbilt, 76-75.
Vanderbilt struck first, earning a 5-0 lead before Zakai Zeigler put a stop to their early attempt at a run.
For the first ten minutes of the first half, it was all from three or at the rim for the Vols, Tennessee hitting five from deep and two Felix Okpara dunks. During that time the Vols went on an 11-1 run that put them ahead 19-11.
Highlighting that beginning effort was Zakai Zeigler. Less than eight minutes in the senior had six points, was 2-2 from three-point land, 4 assists, including the two to Okpara’s dunks and a steal.
Each of Tennessee’s first five threes were scored by a different Vol. It wasn’t until there was 10:41 left in the first half that Tennessee hit something other than a triple or a dunk. Jahmai Mashack changing the shot selection up with a jumper that put the Vols up 21-15.
Vanderbilt worked their way back to a lead with a 6-0 run. The Commodores up by two with less than five-and-half minutes remaining in the first half. The Commodores largest lead of the first half came a few minutes later, a Jaylen Carey layup giving Vanderbilt a 7-point advantage.
Their run continued for over four minutes, Vanderbilt scoring 11 points before a Chaz Lanier free throw broke up the energy.
Lanier followed up two made free throws with a shot from downtown, one that would be the only score from the field for the Vols in the last eight and a half minutes of the first half.
While the Vols were restricted, Vanderbilt was the opposite. If their offense wasn’t hot enough, Tyler Nickel was fouled from deep with three seconds left before the break. The made and-one put the Commodores up 41-35, and was the lingering image as the teams headed to the locker room.
The Vols looked to put the end of the first half behind them, erasing the latest memory with an Igor Milicic three-pointer. Along with two previous points from the charity stripe, Milicic’s five points in the first 90 seconds put the Vols within one.
However that would be short lived, Vanderbilt scored nine in just over a minute off triples from Nickel and Jason Edwards, to give them the first double-digit lead of the game, 50-40.
That lead extended to as high as 16 around the midway point of the second half.
The Vols managed to closed the gap to the single digits several times during the latter part of the second half. With less than three minutes remaining , Milicic dunked and made a layup, Lanier dropped in two, and Zeigler made two free throws to close this one to just two points with seconds on the clock.
Ball in Tennessee’s possession, Chaz Lanier drove through the paint to tie it, but was blocked by the Commodores’ Chris Manon.
Vanderbilt was fouled with five seconds left, but missed at the line, leaving Tennessee still with a chance. Tyler Tanner then fouled Lanier with two seconds left. Lanier made the first one to put the Vols within one to tie it, but missed the final free throw.
The Vols comeback fell short, 76-75 over the Commodores.
