UT rallies to beat Alabama

Tennessee snapped out of its funk in the second half on Saturday. The team that had lost six of eight games was easy to forget. The one that played its way into the NCAA tournament bubble conversation a month ago was easy to remember.

The Vols trailed visiting Alabama by as many as 16 points early in the second half, but stormed back to win 59-54 in front of 14,652 at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Freshman forward Grant Williams led Tennessee (16-15, 8-10 SEC) with 16 points and fifth-year senior Lew Evans scored 15 on senior day. Alabama (17-13, 10-8) got 13 points from Riley Norris, all in the first half, and Braxton Key had 12.

The Vols went ahead for good with a 6-0 run, after Lew Evans and Admiral Schofield hitting 3-pointers on back-toback possessions. Schofield’s put the Vols ahead 54-53 with 1:48 to play.

Tennessee ended the game on a 35-14 run, after trailing 40-24 with 18:37 left.

That’s when the Vols started their run, with an Evans 3-pointer from the top of the key. A 14-2 scoring burst over the a span of 4:30 got Tennessee back within two points, at 42-40.

After scoring just 22 points in the first half, Tennessee scored 20 over the first nine minutes of the second half.

Williams hit a corner three as the shotclock expired, putting the Vols up 48-47 with 8:35 left, extending the home team’s scoring run to 24-7 over 10 minutes. The lead didn’t last long. The Crimson Tide answered with a 6-0 run as Tennessee missed its next six shots, helping Alabama get back out in front 53-48 with 4:23 left. The Vols punched back with the 6-0 run that proved to be enough.

Tennessee went 6-for-30 from the floor during the ice-cold first half. Meanwhile, Alabama made 7 of 9 shots from the 3-point line while building a 36-22 lead at the break.

The Crimson Tide shot 56.5 percent (13-23) while building the 14-point lead.

Williams led the Vols with eight points in the first half, but he made just 2 of 7 shots. None of his teammates had more than four points.

Norris had 13 in the first half for Alabama, going 3-for-3 from the 3-point line and Braxton Key added another seven, making the only three he attempted in the half.

The SEC Tournament starts Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena, with the league’s four bottom teams in the standings opening the bracket. Tennessee, likely playing as the tournament’s No. 9 seed, would face the No. 8 seed on Thursday afternoon.