KNOXVILLE — Heartbreak times two.
Tennessee lost its second buzzer-beater in four days when DeAndre Gholston’s 3-pointer from nearly 30 feet Saturday night enabled Missouri to shock the No. 6 Volunteers 86-85 inside Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols had gone 59 games without losing consecutive contests, but Gholston’s heave followed Tyrin Lawrence’s 3-pointer from the corner Wednesday night that propelled Vanderbilt to a 66-65 topping of Tennessee in Nashville.
“I don’t know,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said when asked if he’s ever lost back-to-back games at the horn. “It’s a different feeling from the other night, when we had a defensive breakdown that we know we can’t have.”
The Vols have lost three of four games since looking so impressive in an 82-71 demolishing of Texas in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Jan. 28, and they are now 19-6 overall and 8-4 in Southeastern Conference play.
Santiago Vescovi went to the free-throw line with 4.2 seconds left and the Vols up 85-83, but he missed the first attempt and had his second try nullified by a lane violation on Tobe Awaka. Vescovi missed the front end of a one-and-one at Vanderbilt that opened the door for Lawrence’s heroics.
“We all hurt for Santi,” Barnes said. “He’s hurting, because he knows he had a chance two games in a row to put the game on ice.”
Missouri guard Sean East told reporters that he walked past Vescovi at the line and said, “You’re going to miss one. You missed one last game.”
Tyreke Key came off the bench to lead the Vols with 23 points, connecting on 5-of-9 from long range. Vescovi added 16 and hit a 3-pointer with 7:41 remaining that put Tennessee up 67-64 as part of a 15-0 run that rallied the Vols from a 64-54 deficit.
“We don’t get into this game without Santi at all,” Vols sophomore guard Jahmai Mashack said. “We have no chance and no shot without the way he was shooting the ball and driving and the way he kept us in the game. I couldn’t care less about the free throws, and I made sure to tell him that.”
Said Key: “We’re all very confident in Santi, and there were multiple things that played into how the game ended like that.”
Most notably Missouri’s shooting, as the Tigers were 30-of-57 overall (52.6%) and 14-of-26 from 3-point range (53.8%). Kobe Brown scored 21 points to lead the Tigers, who improved to 19-6 overall and 7-5 within the league, while Gholston added 18.
A Nick Honor 3-pointer with 1:35 remaining in the first half put Missouri up 44-30, and the Tigers took their biggest lead at 49-32 on a Brown 3-pointer with 17:33 left.
“I am excited about our team and our program,” first-year coach Dennis Gates said. “To be able to win against a possible No. 1 or No. 2 seed on their home court is tremendous.”
Mizzou travels to Auburn (17-8, 7-5) on Tuesday, while Tennessee hosts league-leading and third-ranked Alabama (22-3, 12-0) on Wednesday.
Odds and ends
With Vols senior guard Josiah-Jordan James unavailable due to the ankle injury he sustained during the second half Wednesday at Vanderbilt, Jonas Aidoo got his first career start. … When Zakai Zeigler picked up his second foul at the 5:55 mark of the first half, it marked a rare appearance for freshman point guard B.J. Edwards. … Freshman forward Julian Phillips didn’t play in the second half (hip flexor).
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.
Updated with more information at 10:15 p.m. on Feb. 11, 2023.