KNOXVILLE — Tennessee displayed some midseason resolve Saturday night, breaking free for a 77-69 victory over Auburn inside the Food City Center.
With senior center Felix Okpara unavailable due to injury and with senior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie picking up his fourth foul with 13:35 remaining, the Volunteers relied on stellar rebounding and an unusually strong performance from the free-throw line to halt a four-game winning streak by the Tigers.
“We needed everybody,” Tennessee 11th-year coach Rick Barnes said afterward. “We had a lot of different guys step up, and it was really a team win.”
Auburn and Tennessee are now tied with 216 wins since the start of the 2017-18 season, the most of any Southeastern Conference men’s basketball teams in that stretch.
Gillespie’s fourth foul occurred on a made 3-pointer by Tahaad Pettiford, with Pettiford’s free throw pulling the Tigers within 49-44. Filip Jovic’s layup and free throw with 7:08 to play got Auburn within a possession at 59-56, but the Vols responded with inside baskets from DeWayne Brown II and Jaylen Carey during an 11-3 run that made it 70-59.