KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team stormed back from an 11-point first-half deficit to take down Texas A&M, 87-82, in a double-overtime classic Tuesday night at Food City Center.
No. 24/RV Tennessee (12-5, 2-2 SEC) dominated the boards, 60-35, and got a game-high 23 points from Nate Ament in its second double-digit comeback win of the season. The freshman forward tallied 10 of his co-career-best point total in the extra sessions.
Texas A&M (13-4, 3-1 SEC) scored the opening eight points in the first 2:40, but the Volunteers responded with eight in a row of their own in 1:50 to level the score at the 14:56 mark. The teams traded points until it was again even at 15, but the Aggies then went on an 11-0 run in 2:20 to go up claim a 26-15 edge with 6:47 remaining in the frame.
Tennessee countered with a 12-2 spurt in just 3:13, capped with seven consecutive points in 71 seconds, to trim the margin to one, 28-27, with 3:19 on the timer. The surge ended with a 3-pointer by senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and the game’s next three possessions also featured long-range makes, followed by a scoreless 2:07. That sent the teams into the locker room with Texas A&M ahead by four, 34-30.
Although the Volunteers shot 29.0 percent (9-of-31) from the field in the first half, including 21.4 percent (3-of-14) beyond the arc, they grabbed 12 offensive rebounds—10 came in the initial 12 minutes—and logged a 90.0 percent (9-of-10) mark at the line.
Tennessee scored the opening basket of the second half, but Texas A&M then logged seven points in only 23 seconds to take a nine-point lead, 41-32, with 17:41 left. The seesaw battle continued from there, as the home team scored the next nine points—it made four field goals in a row—in 1:46 to pull even at 41 with 14:35 remaining.
The Aggies soon regained the lead on a 3-pointer 28 seconds later and extended it to five on four occasions, including to 55-50 with 7:49 to go. Tennessee responded with the next seven points in 96 seconds to take its first lead of the night, 57-55, on a pair of free throws by Ament with 5:29 on the timer.
Texas A&M scored 10 points on its next five possession to garner a 64-66 lead with 2:33 left, but Tennessee tied it up seven seconds later on a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Bishop Boswell. After stops each way, the Aggies regained the lead on a layup with 1:39 to go, but Tennessee countered with a go-ahead 3-pointer by freshman guard Troy Henderson 14 ticks later. Just 19 seconds after that, Texas A&M hit two free throws to pull back in front and then, after the two sides combined for three turnovers, added another one from the line with 16.7 seconds to go, earning a 71-69 edge. Ament hit the first of two free throws with 13.0 seconds left, with Boswell grabbing the second and getting fouled, then hitting his first of two to tie the score just eight-tenths of a second after that. Tennessee had a chance to win in regulation, but its shot missed the mark.
In the first overtime, the two teams combined for just two points—a layup by Ament at the 4:09 mark—in the first three-plus minutes. The Aggies scored four of the six points in the last 1:45 of the session and the game went to another stanza, marking the first multiple-overtime contest for Tennessee since Feb. 23, 2013, also against the Aggies.
Ament again opened the scoring in the second overtime, but Texas A&M then hit a free throw and followed it with a 3-pointer by junior Pop Isaacs to go up, 79-77, with 3:58 on the clock. Ament leveled the score on a layup 29 seconds later, Boswell hit two free throws 37 after that and then junior forward Jaylen Carey had a putback basket with 1:14 to go to make it 83-79, giving Tennessee its then-largest lead.
Each team then split a pair of free throws, after which senior guard Jacari Lane hit two from the line to make it a two-point game, 84-82, with 15.8 ticks left, but Tennessee did not allow another point. Two free throws from Ament with 12.7 seconds to play doubled the lead and then, after a stop, Carey added another point from the line with seven ticks to go, sealing the win and giving the victors their biggest advantage of the evening. Tennessee did not allow a made field goal in the final 3:58, forcing misses on the visitors’ six final attempts.
Ament’s career-high-tying 23 points featured a 9-of-11 mark from the free-throw line, as he also tied his career best in both makes and attempts. He also tied his top mark with seven made field goals and, while setting a new top mark with 43 minutes of action, scored 19 of his points in the final 19:09.
Gillespie amassed 18 points, a team-best five assists and four rebounds to go along with six steals, the latter of which led all players and set a new top mark by any Volunteer this season. He played a career-high 48 minutes, the most of anyone in the contest, before fouling out with 15 seconds left in double-overtime. Meanwhile, Boswell not only recorded his first double-double, but set career highs in points (13), rebounds (11), made free throws (eight), free-throw attempts (12) and minutes (43).
Senior forward Felix Okpara also logged a double-double, finishing with 10 points and a season-best 12 rebounds. He made all three of his field-goal attempts and four of his five shots from the line, while setting a new top mark with 38 minutes of court time. Carey nearly gave the Volunteers a third double-double, notching 10 points and nine rebounds. Henderson added eight points, one shy of his career best, in a career-high 22 minutes.
Lane paced the Aggies with 20 points and added a game-leading nine assists, the latter the most by a Tennessee foe all season. Isaacs scored 16 points, shooting 4-of-11 from 3-point range to match the long-range register from sophomore guard Rubén Dominguez, who tallied 15 points.
Graduate forward Rashaun Agee had 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while senior guard Rylan Griffeen scored 10 points to give Texas A&M five double-digit scorers. Both Agee and Griffen fouled out, as did graduate forward Zach Clemence.
Both teams finished under 38.0 percent from the floor and under 31.0 percent beyond the arc. Tennessee, though, shot 31-of-42 (73.8 percent) at the line, compared to a 21-of-32 (65.6 percent) clip for Texas A&M.
Additionally, Tennessee’s plus-25 margin on the glass included a 24-10 figure on the offensive end. That led to a 22-5 cushion in second-chance points. The Volunteers also made 16 of their final 33 field-goal attempts after a 9-of-34 start through 21-plus minutes.
Up next for Tennessee is a second consecutive game at Food City Center, as it is set to host Kentucky in a Saturday matinee, with action slated to begin at noon, live on ESPN. Vol Network coverage begins at 11:30am from 103.1FM WIKQ.
