University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
8-4
ETSU
6-4
Vols Surge Late In 71-61 NYE Win Over ETSU
December 31, 2014 | Men's Basketball
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Josh Richardson scored 19 points, Armani Moore posted a double-double and Tennessee surged late to take a 71-61 New Year's Eve victory over ETSU on Wednesday.
Tennessee (8-4) closed out the game on a 19-5 run to remain a perfect 7-0 at home this season. UT posted a season-high 19 assists in the win. ETSU (6-4) thrived with outside shooting through the first 30 minutes of the game, but the Vol defense shut down the Bucs over the final 10.
Richardson had 19 points with six assists and four rebounds. Moore finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the second double-double of his career. Derek Reese scored 12 points and collected five rebounds in the win.
ETSU shot 13-of-32 from 3-point range, marking the most 3-pointers by a Tennessee opponent since College of Charleston drained 14 on New Year's Eve in 2010. Reyshawn Rembert scored a game-high 21 points, going 7-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Richardson scored 14 points in the second half to counter ETSU's sharpshooters. The Bucs' Lester Wilson hit three treys and scored 11 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half, which featured five lead changes.
Down 56-52 with 9:39 left, Tennessee surged ahead with a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to seize control of the game. The Vols pulled ahead, 57-56, on a Reese layup with 7:50 remaining.
ETSU controlled the game early, scoring the game's first 13 points and keeping Tennessee off the scoreboard through the first four minutes of play. The Bucs opened their attack from the outside with Rembert swishing three 3-pointers. ETSU capped its 13-0 run with an alley-oop to A.J. Merriweather.
A 12-3 Tennessee run, capped by Detrick Mostella's trey from the left wing, pulled the Vols to within 16-12 by the second media timeout.
The Vols pulled ahead with 7:44 remaining in the first half when Robert Hubbs III hit a 3-pointer from the right corner to cap a 10-2 run and give UT a 22-20 lead.
Rembert made a 3-pointer eight seconds before halftime to cut Tennessee's lead to 32-31 heading into the break. The Vols shot 43.3 percent (13-of-30) in the first half and had an 18-14 rebounding edge. Rembert led all scorers with 18 points at the half and drained six of the Bucs' seven first-half treys.
Tennessee's 32 first-half points were its most before halftime since scoring 34 against Michigan in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen on March 28, 2014.
Tennessee's first game of 2015 is its SEC opener at Mississippi State on Jan. 7. That game will be televised on SEC Network and features a 9 p.m. ET tipoff. The Vols play their first conference home game on Jan. 10, hosting Alabama at 2 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
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