University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
13-7, 5-3SEC
Auburn
10-11, 2-6SEC
Vols Tame Auburn Tigers, 71-63
January 31, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2015
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- In a rugged battle, Tennessee captured a 71-63 victory over Auburn on Saturday afternoon. The crowd of 18,439 at Thompson-Boling Arena witnessed a wild game, but the Vols outlasted the Tigers to improve to 13-7 overall and 5-3 in the SEC.
Junior Armani Moore posted his fourth double-double of the season with a career-high 19 points and tied his career-high with 13 rebounds. Junior Kevin Punter netted 17 points. Senior Josh Richardson added 15 and junior Derek Reese had 11 as four Vols scored in double-figures.
Auburn's leading scorer KT Harrell tallied 16 for the Tigers (10-11, 2-6 SEC).
In his first SEC start of the season, Tahj Shamsid-Deen, scored his most since the Tigers' third game of the season with 14. Antoine Mason also had 14 points
Bigman Cinmeon Bowers, who came in averaging a double-double, had 13 points and eight rebounds. .
Tennessee's 11-0 run midway through the second half put the Vols in front for good, 60-52, keyed by Punter's right-side corner 3-pointer with 8:39 left in the second half.
Auburn crept back within three points on Harrell's 3-pointer with 6:14 left. Tennessee's Reese responded for a Vols with his own triple to put UT up 67-59 with less than five minutes to go.
The Vols took a 5-point lead on a Punter free throw at 68-63 with 56.5 on the clock after an intentional foul was Mason was called for an intentional foul. Reese made two more free throws with 49.5 left to push the margin to three possessions at 70-63 to seal the win.
Auburn tied the game at 47 after a technical foul was whistled on Tennessee's Tariq Owens as Harrell made the technical free throws and Shamsid-Deen hit a jumper with 12:14 left.
Moore scored six points in one second of game action to give Tennessee a 45-43 lead with 13:04 left in the second. Moore hit a short jumper in the lane on which Auburn's Trayvon Reed was called for a flagrant two foul and was ejected after a flying elbow with Moore's head. Moore proceeded to make both free throws and then hit a layup as action continued.
Auburn used a 7-0 spurt early in the second half to take a 42-37 lead with 14:40 left on a Bowers layup.
The Vols led 33-29 at the half as Punter had 10 for UT and Shamsid-Deen netted 10 for the Tigers.
Tennessee scored four points in four seconds to give the Vols a 33-27 lead with 1:30 left in the first half. After Richardson made a short jumper, the senior stole the ball and fed it to Punter, who hit a layup.
After Punter opened the game's scoring, Auburn led for the next 16 minutes until Moore scored back-to-back buckets with less than three minutes to go in the half. His layup with 2:46 left gave the Vols their first lead since 2-0, at 26-25. Then Moore's putback dunk put the Vols up 28-25 with 1:49 left in the first half.
Tennessee leads the all-time series with Auburn, 75-37 including a 47-7 mark in Knoxville.
Tennessee returns to action on Tuesday as Mississippi State comes to Thompson-Boling Arena for a 7 p.m., tip. That game airs on the SEC Network and can be heard on the Vol Network.
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