No. 22 Tennessee came out on top in a back-and-forth affair Thursday in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals, outlasting USC in overtime, 73-66.
Tennessee and USC played back and forth for the first three minutes of the overtime period, as Trojan guard Boogie Ellis’ baseline jumper knotted the score at 66 with 2:09 remaining in OT.
On the ensuing trip down the court, Santiago Vescovi drained a 3-pointer from the wing as the shot clock wound down to give the Vols a 69-66 lead.
From there, Tennessee forced three straight USC turnovers and Zakai Zeigler was 4-for-4 at the line to seal the win.
Freshman Julian Phillips paced the Vols offensively all game, finishing with a career-high and game-high 25 points on 7-for-13 shooting. He also pulled down eight rebounds and was 10-for-12 at the free-throw line.
Olivier Nkamhoua also scored in double figures for the Vols, registering a 12-point, six-rebound performance on 5-for-8 shooting.
With the win, Tennessee advances to Friday’s Battle 4 Atlantis championship game against No. 3 Kansas, who defeated Wisconsin on Thursday in overtime, 69-68. Tip-off is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
