RTI Reaction: Tennessee Collapses in Final Minutes, Falls to Kentucky in Knoxville | Rocky Top Insider

Tennessee Basketball held as much as a 17-point lead over Kentucky in the first half and even took an 11-point lead into the halftime break, but were unable to secure the rivalry victory on Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats chipped away and eventually took the lead for the first time in the final minute. Kentucky outscored Tennessee by 13 points in the final 20 minutes and did so with timely second-chance points throughout the half.

The Vols held the lead in the final minute of the game, but a sequence that saw a bad turnover from Ja’Kobi Gillespie, a trip to the foul line, and an untimely offensive rebound ultimately led to Tennessee squandering the lead to Kentucky for the final 34 seconds.

Gillespie finished with a game-high 24 points while freshman Nate Ament put up 17 of his own. Ament’s 35 minutes on the court were the most by any player on either side in the game.

After the contest, RTI’s Ryan Schumpert and Ric Butler broke down their thoughts on the Vols’ loss in the Food City Center.

More From RTI: Three Quick Takeaways As Tennessee Basketball Collapses In Loss At Kentucky

Check out the RTI: Reaction below: