Tennessee 64, Missouri 62: Jordan McRae scored 15 points as the Volunteers rallied late to pull out a victory over the Tigers in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Tennessee (19-11, 11-7 SEC) secured the fifth seed for next week's SEC tournament in Nashville. Jarnell Stokes contributing 13 points and 13 boards, and Trae Golden and Josh Richardson scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively for the Vols, who won for the eighth time in nine games.
Laurence Bowers' 20 points led Missouri (22-9, 11-7). Phil Pressey had 10 points and nine
assists for the Tigers, who are the sixth seed for the conference tournament.
In a tight game, Missouri went on a 10-3 run to take a 50-42 lead with 10:07 to play. The Vols responded with a 18-3 explosion to forge a 60-53 advantage with 3:06 to go.
The Tigers had a number of shots to tie with a 3-pointer, but none would fall, including Pressey's airball with 12.6 seconds to play. Golden sank two free throws to put the Vols up five, and Earnest Ross' 3-pointer at the buzzer set the final score.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Missouri's 62 points were its fewest in a game since an 83-52 loss to Florida on Jan. 19. … The Tigers' Jabari Brown entered the game averaging 14.4 points, but finished with six points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field. … Tennessee dominated the glass 45-32, including 18 offensive rebounds that the Vols converted into 16 second-chance points.
Missouri | Tennessee | |
Laurence Bowers 20 | Scoring | Jordan McRae 15 |
Phil Pressey 9 | Assists | Trae Golden 4 |
Alex Oriakhi 6 | Rebounds | Jarnell Stokes 13 |
Earnest Ross 4 | Free Throws Made | Jordan McRae 5 |
Phil Pressey 3 | Steals | Josh Richardson 3 |
Laurence Bowers 4 | Blocks | Jordan McRae 2 |