Tennessee hung on to beat Texas 62-58 in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday despite a putrid shooting night.
The Volunteers looked like they were going to keep Texas at bay for much of the second half before the Longhorns made a late surge. Texas able to cut the lead to one with 34.2 seconds to go before Jonas Aidoo made two free throws with 24.3 seconds to go.
Texas had a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer, but Max Abmas’ shot failed to draw iron with 10 seconds to go. Dalton Knecht got fouled after grabbing the rebound and then made it a two-possession game at the stripe.
Tyrese Hunter hit a three with 3.9 seconds to go, but Knecht made two more free throws to seal the game.
Knecht’s excellence at the free-throw line late in the game came as he struggled from the field. Knecht was 7 of 8 from the stripe and had 18 points despite shooting just 5 of 18. Tennessee shot just 34% overall and was 3 of 25 from behind the 3-point line.
Texas wasn’t much better thanks to Tennessee’s defense. The Longhorns shot 37% from the field and committed 17 turnovers. But they also didn’t let Tennessee run away in the second half despite the Vols’ domination of much of the final 20 minutes.
