Jahmai Mashack raced up the court and hit a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc at the buzzer to give No. 5 Tennessee a 79-76 victory over No. 6 Alabama on Saturday.
The Volunteers (24-5, 11-5 Southeastern Conference) got the final shot by forcing a five-second inbounds violation under Alabama’s basket with 3.8 seconds left.
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Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey each scored 18 points for Tennessee. Zakai Zeigler had 15, and Mashack finished with 11.
Mark Sears led Alabama (23-6, 12-4) with 24 points. Labaron Philan had 13, and Aden Holloway added 11.
Sears had 12 points in the first half to help Alabama take a 42-38 lead.
Takeaways
Alabama: It was a bold move for coach Nate Oats to re-work the framework of his team late in the season. Over the last four games, the Crimson Tide have gone to a three-guard starting lineup — inserting Labaron Philon along with Mark Sears and Chris Youngblood, while bringing Jarin Stevenson off the bench. The creative move has been successful so far.
Tennessee: Big man Felix Okpara is becoming more involved in the offense. Coming into the Alabama game, he scored at least eight points in five of the last seven games and was in double figures three of those.
Key moment
With 3.8 seconds to play, Tennessee got the ball back on Alabama’s inbounds violation.
Key stat
Alabama outrebounded the Vols 24-14 in the final 20 minutes, with a 13-7 advantage on the offensive end.
Up next
Both teams are in action Wednesday night. Alabama hosts Florida, and Tennessee is at Mississippi.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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