Tennessee Volunteers Basketball: Vols Survive Against Auburn
By Zach Ragan
Jan 15, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Cuonzo Martin takes with Tennessee Volunteers forward Jarnell Stokes (5), forward Kenny Hall (20), guard Skylar McBee (13) and guard Jordan McRae (52) during a time out in the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Tennessee 75-65. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
The Tennessee Volunteers grinded out a 82-75 win over the Auburn Tigers on Wednesday night.
Auburn overcame an early Tennessee lead to go into the half with a 35-32 lead. Tennessee was able to rally and build a late second-half lead to put the Tigers away.
Tennessee desperately needed a win against Auburn, with an NCAA tournament bid possibly on the line. With the win the Vols improved to 18-11 overall and 10-7 in the SEC.
Jordan McRae and Trae Golden led the Volunteers in scoring, both scoring 21 points. Jarnell Stokes contributed with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Stokes now has 13 double-doubles this season. Stokes could have padded his stats a bit more, but the Memphis native made only 1-of-10 free throws. The Vols as team shot 27-38 from the free throw line.
Frankie Sullivan led the Tigers in scoring, scoring 24 points. Auburn falls to 9-21 overall and 3-13 in the conference.
Tennessee had a rough night shooting the ball all around, shooting only 42.6% for the game. Auburn shot just over 50% on the night.
The Volunteers will now turn their attention to the regular season finale against the Missouri Tigers on Saturday at Thompson-Boling arena. Tennessee will need a win to keep their tournament hopes alive, leaving little room for error.
The Vols have lost only three games at home this season, while Missouri (22-8, 11-6 SEC) is only 2-7 on the road this season. Missouri is led in scoring by Laurence Bowers, at 14.6 points a game. The Tigers have won their last three games, including a convincing 30 point victory over Arkansas on Tuesday night.
Tennessee and Missouri will tip off at 4:00 pm est on Saturday.