LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Tennessee coach Rick Barnes agreed with the foul call on Volunteers guard Lamonte Turner in the final seconds of regulation on Thursday.
Turner was called for a foul on Purdue's Carsen Edwards with 1.7 seconds left and Tennessee leading 82-80. Edwards only hit two of three free throws, but the Boilermakers went on to win in overtime 99-94 to reach Saturday's South Region NCAA tournament final.
"It was a foul," Barnes said. "It was a foul. He missed the shot. Lamonte hit him after the shot. ... It was three feet out of his hand when he hit him. We know the rule. You've got to allow the shooter to come back down."
Tennessee overcame an 18-point second-half deficit to take a 70-67 lead with 5:25 left. The two teams exchanged baskets down the stretch, culminating in a Grant Williams putback with eight seconds left that gave the Volunteers a two-point lead heading into Purdue's final possession.
"It's a tough one, because in that situation, we know we can't foul there and they've got to make that shot," Barnes said. "But we wouldn't have been in that situation to come back in that game if it wasn't for Lamonte."
Turner finished with 15 points, 13 coming in the second half. He also helped stifle Edwards in the second half, although Edwards still finished with 29 points to become the first player since Steph Curry to score at least 25 points in four straight NCAA tournament games.
