PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – A pair of late rallies lifted Tennessee to a 78-75, overtime victory over No. 18 Purdue on Wednesday afternoon in the opening game of the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Vols (3-0) got 22 points from sophomore Grant Williams—all of which came after halftime—while junior Kyle Alexander turned in his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Lamonte Turner (17 points) and Admiral Schofield (10) also finished in double figures.
Trailing 73-68 with 2:45 remaining in overtime, Tennessee used a 10-2 run over the final minutes to clinch its first win over a top-25 non-conference opponent since Dec. 14, 2014, when UT defeated No. 15 Butler.
After back-to-back buckets by Williams to draw the Vols within one, Purdue (4-1) turned the ball over, giving UT possession with 1:04 left. Tennessee got the ball in and found Williams near the top of the key. He worked his way down low and – following a double team by the Boilermakers – passed off to Alexander in the paint for a wide-open dunk to take the lead.
A basket from Purdue’s Isaac Haas put the Boilermakers back in front, but Williams responded with another score with 14 seconds left to put the Vols up for good.
Purdue got a final look with fewer than 10 seconds remaining, but the shot bounced off the rim and was chased down by Schofield. James Daniel III then went to the foul line and made two free throws to seal the victory.
After going down by 11 with 5:29 left in the first half, UT fought back to tie the game at halftime, 31-31, and went on a 16-0 run to end the first period and begin the second.
Turner paved the way for the Vols’ offense in the first half, dropping 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting. No basket was bigger than his 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds on the clock in the second half to tie the game at 63-63 and force overtime.
BATTLING DOWN THE STRETCH: Down 73-68 with 2:45 left in overtime, the Vols put together a 10-3 run to end the game. UT hit its last four baskets down the stretch, and James Daniel III made a pair of free throws with two seconds left to seal the victory. On defense, Tennessee held the Boilermakers to just three shots (1-3) during that timespan.
VOLS GRIND AROUND THE GLASS: Despite Purdue having two players taller than 7-2, the Volunteers out-rebounded the Boilermakers, 50-41. UT was active on the offensive end, grabbing 20 boards to help Tennessee get 21 second-chance points. Kyle Alexander led the way for the Vols behind 11 rebounds. Purdue’s Isaac Haas (7-2) and Matt Haarms (7-3) were held to just seven boards combined.
TURNER FUELS FIRST HALF: Turner provided an offensive spark after coming off the bench for the Vols. At 5:29 left in the half, UT trailed 27-16, but Turner rattled off nine-consecutive points for Tennessee to make it a 31-27 game with three minutes remaining. He had 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the period.
UP NEXT: Tennessee will face No. 5 Villanova, who defeated Western Kentucky, 66-58, on Thursday in Game 5 of the Battle 4 Atlantis. The game will tip at 12:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.
-UT Athletics
