Nate Ament, Jaylen Carey propel Tennessee to 77-69 victory over Auburn
Tennessee forward Nate Ament (10) drives against Auburn forward Keshawn Murphy (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. Credit: AP/Wade Payne
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Nate Ament had 22 points, Jaylen Carey came off the bench to score 13 and Tennessee beat Auburn 77-69 on Saturday night.
Ament made only 4 of 16 shots with two 3-pointers for the Volunteers (15-6, 5-3 Southeastern Conference), but he went 12 for 15 at the free-throw line, adding eight rebounds. Carey hit 5 of 9 shots and 3 of 4 free throws and also grabbed eight rebounds.
Ja'Kobi Gillespie added 11 points and five assists for Tennessee, while DeWayne Brown II totaled 10 points and seven rebounds.
Keyshawn Hall had 21 points to pace the Tigers (14-8, 5-4), who saw a four-game winning streak end. Tahaad Pettiford had 11 points and seven assists.
Ament and Carey both had 11 points as Tennessee jumped in front 13-4 on its way to a 41-31 advantage at halftime.
Sebastian Williams-Adams and Kevin Overton both had three-point plays in the first 1:46 as Auburn quickly cut it to 43-37 to begin the second half.
Hall hit a 3-pointer and Elyjjah Freeman followed with a dunk to cut it to 53-49 with 11:19 remaining. Evans made two free throws and J.P. Estrella and Bishop Boswell had back-to-back baskets as the Volunteers pushed the lead to 59-49 with nine minutes left.
Tennessee forward Jaylen Carey (23) drives for a shot against Auburn forward Sebastian Williams-Adams, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. Credit: AP/Wade Payne
Freshman Filip Jovic turned an offensive rebound into a three-point play and Auburn trailed 59-56 with seven minutes to go. Gillespie scored the final four points as Tennessee answered with a 6-0 run and maintained a two-possession lead to the finish.
Up next
Tennessee: Hosts Mississippi on Tuesday.
Auburn: Hosts No. 23 Alabama on Saturday.
