A lead that was as big as 23 had shrunk all the way down to eight points. Tennessee basketball was forced to, again, turn things on to finish off the Tigers.
The Vols did just that and ended up having a 17-point lead in the closing seconds before Jordan Gainey hit his third 3-pointer of the game, giving Tennessee its 88th and final points.
It was Gainey’s best scoring output of the season — he had 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor. He has been an offensive spark plug for the Vols when his shot is falling, but he also contributed on the defensive end against LSU with three steals.
“I was sitting beside his dad (assistant coach Justin Gainey), and we talked about how much he has improved on the defensive end,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “He is working so hard on defense. His biggest improvement has been defensively where he has taken things personally and become an all-round player.”
Gainey knew when he got to Tennessee that if he wanted to play meaningful minutes for Barnes then he would have to play with good effort on defense. He has done that this season and is averaging one steal per game off the bench.
He set the tone defensively against LSU by getting a couple of steals as soon as he entered the game.
“I play as hard as I can on defense and try and get as many possessions for my team as I can,” Gainey said after the LSU win. “Playing defense is what we do. When everyone is clicking and playing together, it’s really fun.”
Gainey was one of the best players for South Carolina Upstate before he transferred to Tennessee before the season. He made an immediate impact when he arrived in Knoxville and scored in double figures in six of his first seven games. Since that hot start, things have been up and down for Gainey. Wednesday marks the third time since that opening stretch of games that he has scored in double figures.
“I learn from just about everybody in practice,” Gainey said. “Everyone has their specific areas that they are really good at. Zakai (Zeigler) and (Jahmai) Mashack put great pressure on the ball and are great in the gaps. ”
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