NASHVILLE -- Florida looked like it was going to run away with the SEC Tournament title inside Bridgestone Arena on Sunday.
The 2-seed Gators led by nine at halftime and spent much of the second half leading by that much or more. But 4-seed Tennessee made a push, headed up by Jordan Gainey to pull within five with eight minutes left.
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But in the end, Florida had one more push left in it, too and pulled away to beat the Vols, 86-77 for its first SEC Tournament Championship in more than a decade.
Tennessee had to go the last five minutes without its best offensive player and one of its best defenders on the floor in Chaz Lanier and Jahmai Mashack, who each fouled out in a whistled-filled tournament final.
Gainey was the headliner for the Vols (28-7) offensively. He scored 24 points and led that scoring flurry that nearly brought Tennessee back. Zakai Zeigler finished with 23.
Walter Clayton Jr. paced Florida (30-4) with 22 points on his way to tournament MVP honors. Will Richard totaled 17.
Tennessee was out-rebounded, 39-25 and were out-scored in the paint, 32-20.
The Vols will now await their NCAA Tournament draw later this afternoon. Tennessee is projected as a No. 2 seed.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It started just like every game for Tennessee has this weekend.
Zakai Zeigler and Igor Milicic Jr. hit 3-pointers on the Vols’ first two possessions and led 6-3 early. But Florida answered back with a 6-0 run to go up 10-6 at the first media timeout.
Chaz Lanier answered with a three out of the break and Jordan Gainey followed suit with a two jumpers and a 3-pointer to pull Tennessee even at 16-16 with less than 12 minutes left in the first half.
Tennessee then went more than two minutes without a score, and Florida pulled ahead, 25-17 after a Will Richard three with 7:38 to go.
The Vols’ shooting woes from the field continued with free throw line trips their only means of getting points for a four-minute stretch. The Gators, meanwhile went up 12 on another Richard 3-pointer before Lanier came down and buried a jumper to end the field goal drought with 4:52 remaining.
After Rueben Chinyelu stretched the Florida lead to 12 game, Zeigler provided Tennessee with a much-needed three to get back under double digits. He hit another a few minutes later to pull the Vols within six.
Tennessee got the Gators late into the shot-clock on their final possession of the half, forcing Denzel Aberdeen to fire off a deep 3-pointer that fell through to put Florida up nine, 39-30 at halftime.
Lanier opened the second half with a score and accounted for much of the Vols’ scoring production in the first five minutes of the half as the Gators upped their lead to 52-39 with 14:38 left after Richard free throws.
Zeigler got the Tennessee deficit under 10 with free throws at 54-45, but Thomas Haugh and Walter Clayton Jr. off of a Vols’ turnover put the Gators back ahead 58-45 in quick succession as the clock ticked inside of 11 minutes.
Tennessee started to make another push with two-straight scores from Gainey. The first was off of an offensive board that kept the possession alive and an open three on the wing. Then he finished off a drive with a score and foul.
Gainey came up big again after the Vols forced another Florida turnover. He was fouled again, this time going up for a transition dunk that missed, but both free throws went through and the Tennessee deficit was five at 60-55 with 8:47 left.
Zeigler pulled up and hit a floater to answer Richard free throws that put the Gators up seven, but Clayton knocked down a three in response to put Florida up 65-57.
But Tennessee’s push slowed down, and the Vols had to go the rest of the way after Jahmai Mashack and Lanier both fouled out with less than five minutes to go. The Gators pulled away down the stretch.
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