It wasn’t always pretty, but the Tennessee Volunteers found a way to end their 2024-25 regular season on a positive note, defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks 75-65 on Senior Day on Saturday at The Food City Center at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Chaz Lanier led Tennessee with 23 points on 9-16 shooting. Cade Phillips added 15 points and 4 rebounds off the bench, with Igor Milicic, Jr. adding 13 points.
It was a game that started off reasonably well for Tennessee. The Vols secured a 10-4 lead about 5 minutes in on a 3 by Milicic, and for the next 10 minutes of game time, Tennessee kept South Carolina reasonably at bay, pushing the lead to 23-13 with about 8 and a half minutes left in the half.
However, the Gamecocks closed strong down the stretch, erasing the 10 point deficit and taking a 3-point lead after Arden Conyers knocked down a three point 20 seconds left for a 34-31. Phillips drove the lane and slammed in an and-one dunk with the free throw to even things up going into the locker room.
The second half saw the neck and neck battle continue early, with South Carolina taking a 40-39 lead. From there, Lanier scored 6 of the Vols’ next 8 points that ended with Tennessee going up 47-42, a lead they would never relinquish again.
The Gamecocks would cut the lead to 50-47, but back to back threes by Lanier followed by a jumper on his next possession, but the Vols up 58-50, and UT would keep South Carolina at a three-possession distance for the rest of the way home. Tennessee’s biggest lead came at 64-52 on a basket by Felix Okpara.
The Vols finished the regular season at 25-6 and now await the results of the rest of the league to play out today to determine their seeding and possible opponents in the SEC Tournament next week.