Postgame Notes: Vols 71, ETSU 61

Dec. 31, 2014

FOR STARTERS

Tennessee starters: guard Josh Richardson, guard Kevin Punter, guard Kevin Baulkman, forward Armani Moore, forward Willie Carmichael III.
First UT basket: Willie Carmichael III with a layup (15:45).
First sub in: Robert Hubbs III, Derek Reese
ETSU scored the first 13 points of the game with Rashawn Rembert hitting 3 of 3 from 3-point range.

WITH THE WIN...

Preserves the Vols' unblemished home record this season (7-0).
Makes Tennessee 89-16 all-time against current members of the Southern Conference.
Gives Donnie Tyndall an 8-1 head coaching record against Southern Conference teams.
Makes Tyndall 30-16 as a Divi- sion I head coach against teams from the state of Tennessee.
Ends 2014 on a winning note.

TENNESSEE IS...

HE SCORES, HE REBOUNDS, HE ASSISTS

Junior Armani Moore came close to a triple-double on Wednesday, finishing with 13 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
It was his second double-double of the season. He had 18 points and 13 rebounds against Marquette (11/30/14).
The seven assists is a career high, surpassing the five he had against Kansas State (12/6/14). He has had at least three assists in five games this season.

SEASON HIGH FOR REESE

Junior Derek Reese scored double digits for the first time this season, matching his career high with 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting.
His previous season high had been six points, which he'd done in two games this year.
Three Vols finished in double figures: Richardson (16), Moore (13) and Reese (12).

RICHARDSON LEADS THE WAY AGAIN

Senior Josh Richardson led the Vols in scoring for the ninth time this season, finishing with 19 points.
He also had six assists, the fourth time in the last five games he has had at least five assists.

AT THE HALF

Behind Derek Reese's eight points and Armani Moore's seven, the Vols led ETSU 32-31 at halftime.
Moore had an all-around half of production for the Vols with five rebounds and four assists to go along with his seven points.
The Vols had 11 assists on their 13 field goals.
Rashawn Rembert provided a majority of ETSU's scoring, shooting 6 of 9 from the 3-point arc to finish with 18 points at halftime. As a team, the Bucs shot 7 of 17 (41.2 percent) from 3-point range.
Tennessee outscored ETSU in points in the paint 20-6, but the Vols had 6 points from 3-point range while ETSU accounted for 21 points from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT: at MISSISSIPPI STATE

The Vols open Southeastern Conference play with a trip to face Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., Jan. 7. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
The Bulldogs are 6-5 in their third season under head coach Rick Ray.
Mississippi State began the year with a five-game win streak and then slipped into a five-game losing skid before defeating Jacksonville Dec. 23.
Tennessee leads the all-time series with MSU 78-41, dating to 1924.
The Vols have won three straight in the series.
The series is tied 27-27 when the game takes place in Starkville.
Last season, the Vols posted a 75-68 win over the Bulldogs in Starkville.
Tennessee has won 12 of its last 15 SEC openers.

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