No. 2 Tennessee runs out of answers in Elite Eight loss to No. 1 Houston
INDIANAPOLIS — For the second straight year, Tennessee Basketball ran out of answers in the Elite Eight. The Vols were blitzed by No. 1 Houston in the first half and couldn’t rally in a 69-50 loss in the Midwest Regional final Sunday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium, once again falling one win short of a Final Four.
Tennessee (30-8) got 17 points from Jordan Gainey, including 13 in the second half, and 17 Chaz Lanier, who went 4-for-17 from the field and 2-for-11 from the 3-point line. Zakai Zeigler had five points and five assists, going 1-for-9 from the field and 1-for-6 at the 3-point line.
The Vols shot 5-for-29 from three as a team after missing their first 14 attempts. They went just 15-for-52 from the field.
Houston (34-4) got 17 points from LJ Cryer and 16 points from Emmanuel Sharp as the Cougars shot 42.4% from the field and went 9-for-25 at the 3-point line.
Tennessee couldn’t get closer than 10 points in second half
After scoring just 15 points in the first half, and trailing by as many as 22, Tennessee scored 15 points in the first seven minutes of the second half, cutting the deficit down to 14 and forcing a Houston timeout with 13:09 left.
Gainey scored 10 quick points, starting the half 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from the 3-point line.
The Vols had the deficit down to 11 after Igor Milicic Jr. cut to the rim for a two-hand dunk and to 10 after Darlinstone Dubar hit one of two free throws with 5:42 to go.
Houston answered with four straight 3-pointers — three from Sharp and one from Mylik Wilson — to get the lead back to 18 with 3:13 left.
Vols trailed by 19 at halftime, after scoring just 15 in first half
Tennessee trailed 34-15 at halftime, setting an NCAA Tournament record for fewest points scored by a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. It matched a season-low set at Florida on January 7, another 34-15 deficit.
The Vols shot 6-for-28 from the field in the opening 20 minutes and went 1-for-15 from the 3-point line. Gainey was the only Tennessee player to make two shots from the field, with the second coming on a Houston goal-tending call.
Lanier was 1-for-9 and missed all six of his 3-point attempts. Zeigler was 1-for-7 from the floor and 1-for-4 at the 3-point line. Gainey was 2-for-6 and 0-for-3.
It took just over nine minutes for Tennessee to make its second shot from the floor, when Felix Okpara dunked with 10:58 left in the first half.
Tennessee didn’t hit its first 3-pointer until the final minute of the first half, when Zeigler hit from the top of the key with 38 seconds left, after 14 straight misses.
The Vols went through No. 15 Wofford, No. 7 UCLA and No. 3 Kentucky on the way to their second straight Elite Eight appearance and just the third in program history. No. 1 Purdue beat No. 2 Tennessee 72-66 in the Elite Eight last season at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
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