Tennessee holds on for overtime win against Georgia

Field Level Media|published: Wed 28th January, 21:56 2026

Jan 28, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers center Felix Okpara (34) controls the ball behind Georgia Bulldogs forward Justin Abson (25) during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

J.P. Estrella scored five of his 17 points in overtime, leading Tennessee to an 86-85 win over Georgia on Wednesday in Athens, Ga.

Georgia trailed by three points with 15.7 seconds remaining after Tennessee's Felix Okpara made 1 of 2 free throws. The Bulldogs' Marcus "Smurf" Millender drove for a layup with 0.6 seconds left, and the Volunteers inbounded the ball to run out the clock and earn their sixth straight win over Georgia.

The win was No. 850 for Tennessee coach Rick Barnes.

Tennessee (14-6, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) was led by Ja'Kobi Gillespie with 21 points and six assists and Nate Ament, this week's SEC co-player of the week, with 19 points -- 17 after halftime. Bishop Boswell added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Estrella contributed nine rebounds.

Georgia (16-5, 4-4) got a season-high 22 points and seven rebounds from Kanon Catchings. Millender scored 19, going 8-for-10 from the floor, and putting up nine points in overtime. Jordan Ross scored 10.

Tennessee tied it a 45-45 with 14:20 left on a 3-pointer by Boswell, and the teams continued to exchange the lead until the Vols took a 66-60 edge -- their largest lead of the game -- after a bucket by Gillespie and then another 3-pointer by Boswell with 6:51 remaining.

The Volunteers held the lead until Millender made a spinning layup with 3.6 seconds left to tie the game 75-75. Gillespie subsequently had a good look at an 8-footer in the paint, but it bounced off and forced overtime.

There were three ties and three lead changes in the first half until Georgia took a 22-17 edge on a 3-pointer by Catchings and a layup by Jeremiah Wilkinson. The Bulldogs led by as many as seven twice in the opening half and took a 34-28 advantage into intermission on a last-second jumper by Millender.

Georgia committed only four turnovers in the half, leading to one point for Tennessee. The Volunteers outscored the Bulldogs 14-0 on second-chance points thanks to 15 offensive rebounds. Georgia's Justin Abson blocked four shots before the break.

--Field Level Media

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