PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) – Grant Williams scored all 22 of his points after halftime and hit the go-ahead shot with 14.5 seconds left in overtime to lift Tennessee past No. 18 Purdue 78-75 in Wednesday’s opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
After P.J. Thompson missed a jumper for the lead, James Daniel hit two free throws with 2.0 seconds left to push the margin to three. The Boilermakers had one more chance to tie, but Kyle Alexander intercepted Dakota Mathias’ long inbounds heave to end it.
Tennessee (3-0) shot just 36 percent but dominated the boards and finished with 21 second-chance points.
Carsen Edwards scored 21 points to lead the Boilermakers (4-1).
Tennessee forced overtime when Lamonte Turner buried a tying 3-pointer from near his bench with 5.1 seconds left in regulation. Purdue called a timeout, but Edwards’ 3 for the win hit the front rim as the horn sounded.
BIG PICTURE
Tennessee: The Volunteers were trying for their first 3-0 start since the 2010-11 season, along with earning their fourth win against a ranked opponent under third-year coach Rick Barnes. They certainly found a thrilling way to do it, from Turner’s 3 to Williams’ huge effort after a scoreless first half.
Purdue: Offense sure didn’t come easily for a team that entered as one of the nation’s best offenses. The Boilermakers were averaging 102 points per game and shooting nearly 57 percent from the field. They also were shooting roughly 49 percent from 3-point range after making a school-record 19 3s against Fairfield on Saturday. But Purdue shot just 37 percent and had 18 turnovers.
UP NEXT
Tennessee: The Volunteers will play the Western Kentucky-Villanova winner Thursday.
Purdue: The Boilermakers will play the Western Kentucky-Villanova loser Thursday.
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This story corrects that Williams’ basket came in overtime, not regulation.
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