Chicago (AP) – Nate Ament scored 18 points, Ja’Kobi Gillespie finished with 16, and Tennessee defeated Iowa State 76-62 on Friday night to reach the Elite Eight for the third consecutive year.
Coach Rick Barnes’ team displayed strong rebounding and a solid second half performance to overcome Iowa State (29-8) and move within one victory of their first Final Four.
The 6th-seeded Volunteers (25-11) will face top-seeded Michigan in the Midwest Region final on Sunday after the Wolverines defeated Alabama 90-77 with an outstanding performance by Yaxel Lendeborg.
Ament made three 3-pointers, Felix Okpara contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Jaylen Carey added 11 points and 10 boards as Tennessee outrebounded the Cyclones 43-22.
Nate Heise and Tamin Lipsey both scored 18 points for Iowa State, who struggled without injured star Joshua Jefferson.
Jefferson was injured early in Iowa State’s March Madness opener against Tennessee State and was absent from their victory over Kentucky. He averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.
Tennessee held a slim 34-33 lead at halftime, and extended it to 44-39 before a 13-4 run, highlighted by Carey’s three-point play, pushed the lead to 57-43 with 11:47 left in the game.
