Tennessee Basketball moved to 12-6 on the season and 2-3 in SEC play with a blown-lead loss to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville. The Vols came out of the gates strong and built up a 17-point lead in the first half. Kentucky chipped away at Tennessee, though, and the Vols went into the halftime break up 11. Tennessee didn’t give the game up for the vast majority of the second half, but Kentucky kept attacking. The Wildcats ended up taking their first lead in the final 34 seconds of the game.
The backbreaking sequence that led to Kentucky taking the lead and the win came in the final minute, with a Ja’Kobi Gillespie turnover, free shots from the free-throw line, and a backbreaking offensive rebound for the Wildcats. Tennessee had a chance at getting up one more shot to tie the game, but things fell short in the end.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie ended with a game-high 24 points while knocking down four three-pointers. Nate Ament continued his better play, finishing with 17 points. Fourteen of those points came in the second half. At the end of the day, though, it was Tennessee’s vulnerable defense and Kentucky’s improved shooting that led to the Vols’ loss.
It’s a tough loss for a Tennessee team that was perfect at home before this game and now has to go on the road for its next two games. The Vols have a midweek bye coming up, but will then face Alabama and Georgia in a four-day stretch in Tuscaloosa and Athens, respectively. Tennessee has yet to find a true road win so far this season.
After the game, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes and Kentucky head coach Mark Pope met with the media. Other postgame interviews included Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee forward Nate Ament, Kentucky guard Collin Chandler, and Kentucky guard Denzel Aberdeen.
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Check out all three postgame interview sessions below:
Tennessee HC Rick Barnes
Kentucky HC Mark Pope, G Denzel Aberdeen, G Collin Chandler
Tennessee’s Nate Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie
