Zakai Zeigler scored 20 points, Jordan Gainey had 15 and No. 8 Tennessee held No. 3 Auburn 70-65 in the first semi-final in the SEC tournament Saturday afternoon in Nashville.
Chaz Lanier added 12 points for the fourth seeded volunteers (27-6), which will play either No. 4-ranked Florida or No. 5 Alabama in the championship on Sunday afternoon.
Johni Broome had 23 points for the top-seeded tigers (28-5), Miles Kelly contributed 13 and Denver Jones made 10.
The lead changed hand four times at the beginning of the second half before Jones made two free throw and Broome added a basket from the lane to give Auburn a lead of 41-36. Gainey then accounted for seven points under a 9-2 spurt to give Tennessee a lead of 45-43.
The tigers and volunteers went back and forth from there, with the lead that changed another four times before Lanier’s Jumper ended an 8-0 driving that gave the volunteers an advantage of 55-48.
Dylan Cardwell made a free throw to stop driving, but Tennessee extended the lead to 62-50 when Auburn went for more than five minutes without making a field goal.
However, the tigers made 10 straight to get within two points with just over four minutes left before Cade Phillip’s basket ended Tennessee’s field target in almost four minutes.
The tigers came within three twice, but Chad Baker-Mazara missed a 3-point with 14 seconds left. The volunteer Jahmai Mashack made two free throw to seal the upset.
The point was tied twice and the management changed hand five times early before Igor Milicic Jr. Made a layout to give Tennessee a lead of 13-10. Auburn came within a point on three occasions before Zeigler made a layout and Lanier met a jumper for a lead of 22-17.
Zeigler’s arrangement drove the lead to seven before Broome received six points during a 10-0 driving that gave Tigers a lead of 29-26. Darlinstone Dubarar’s layout ended a 5½-minute scorer for the volunteers and Milicic’s Jumper gave them a lead with one point.
It was the first of four lead changes along the route, the last one came when Jones made two free throw to give Auburn a 33-32 half-time lead.
-Field level media
