No. 13 LSU stunned No. 5 Tennessee with an 82-80 overtime win Saturday, pushing the Tigers into a three-way at the top of the SEC, along with Kentucky. LSU pulled off the upset without leading scorer Tremont Waters, who missed the matchup because of an illness, NOLA.com reported before tipoff.
But for a game that had thrilling final minutes of regulation and intense overtime play, the Vols lost the game on a foul that sent LSU to the line for the win.
With 1:23 left in regulation, LSU guard Skylar Mays tied the game at 69 with a great 3-point shot from the top, and eventually, it went into overtime with both teams tied at 71 points apiece.
In overtime, neither team had more than a two-point lead. And with about eight seconds left, LSU forward Kavell Bigby-Williams tossed a rebound back up to tie it again back at 80.
Tennessee blanked on what seemed like its final chance to break the tie and keep the game from going into a second overtime. After Vols guard Lamonte Turner missed his rushed three, everyone scrambled for the rebound, including Tennessee forward Grant Williams, who seemed to have just too much momentum going for the ball.
Williams was called for a foul against LSU’s Ja’vonte Smart with just .6 seconds left after running into him.
And that was the ball game. Smart sank both shots, and Tennessee couldn’t score off a deep pass across the court as the clock expired.
Smart finished with a game-high 29 points, along with five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
