The lead changed hands 14 times in Wednesday night’s Tennessee-Ole Miss game. But the Vols stole back the lead when it mattered most, and UT escaped Oxford, Mississippi with a much-needed win.
With 18.9 seconds left, Jordan Bowden hit a jumper to pull Tennessee to within one point, cutting the Ole Miss lead to 71-70. Grant Williams was then called for a foul just a couple seconds later, and Breein Tyree went to the line to shoot free throws.
Ole Miss had been perfect from the free throw line up to that point, but Tyree missed the first one of the game for the Rebels. And it proved costly.
Admiral Schofield grabbed the rebound, and the Vols ran down the court. Grant Williams got the ball in his hands, and he made magic happen. He sank the go-ahead layup with 4.3 seconds left, then Admiral Schofield drew a charge on the Rebels’ ensuing possession.
Here’s the video of the game-winning sequence of events for the Vols:
BIG. GRANT. WILLIAMS.
AND BIG. ADMIRAL. SCHOFIELD. pic.twitter.com/8uogJ5lT3H
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) February 28, 2019
After that drawn charge, Ole Miss was whistled for a technical foul after head coach Kermit Davis threw off his jacket and berated the officials. Grant Williams missed the first free throw he attempted, but he made the second one to give the Vols a 73-71 lead.
There were some more shenanigans at the end after that moment that led to the officials to return to the monitor to see if time expired, and they ruled it did, giving the Vols a huge road victory over the Rebels.
Once the final buzzer sounded, Ole Miss fans weren’t pleased with the outcome.
Several Rebel fans tossed hats, cups, and other items onto to court to show their displeasure with the officiating. Kermit Davis ran over to the PA mic and told fans to stop after a moment.
Fans are throwing anything and everything onto the court: pic.twitter.com/Lh4TK77FXx
— Blake Von Hagen (@blake_vonhagen) February 28, 2019
An Ole Miss student just threw a shirt at DJ Burns. He caught it and brought it through the tunnel with him.
— Blake Von Hagen (@blake_vonhagen) February 28, 2019
Grant Williams led the Vols with 21 points, adding six rebounds and four assists as well. Lamonte Turner had 17 points, four rebounds, and four assists, and Admiral Schofield was the only other Vol in double-figures in scoring. He totaled 11 points and six rebounds. Jordan Bone added nine points, five rebounds, and four assists.
