Postgame Notes: Vols 80, Mississippi State 75

Jan. 16, 2016

Postgame Notes

The Basics

Tennessee improves to 9-8 on the year and 2-3 in SEC play with an 80-75 win over Mississippi State on Saturday in Knoxville.

The win gives Tennessee its first win away from Thomspon-Boling Arena this season. UT is now 1-4 on the road and 0-3 in neutral site games.

Senior Armani Moore did not play Saturday at Mississippi State as he tended to an ankle injury suffered on Wednesday at Georgia.

Over the final 5:09 of regulation, the Vols went 6-of-6 from the field.

The Short Of It

Guards standing 6-4 or shorter provided all 26 made field goals for Tennessee on Saturday.

In fact, those players scored 78 of Tennessee's 80 points on the day. Kyle Alexander, who converted two free throws in the first half, was the only player taller than 6-4 to score on Saturday.

Mostella Earns Starting Nod

With senior Armani Moore sidelined with an ankle injury, head coach Rick Barnes gave sophomore guard Detrick Mostella his third career start on Saturday as the Vols continued to utilize a small starting lineup.

Mostella, a proven scorer off the bench who had scored in double figures in six of his last seven games, put together a career performance by scoring 24 points on Saturday.

Mostella knocked down five 3-pointers en route to his career-high scoring day, and went on a stretch of eight consecutive points in the second half.

The sophomore saw 35 minutes of action while making his first SEC start at The Hump -- another career-high.

Mostella also picked up his first two blocked shots of the season against MSU, meaning that every scholarship player on Tennessee's roster now has at least one blocked shot.

The Decatur, Alabama, native made his second start of the season. He got the starting nod against Marshall on No. 19 -- Tennessee's third game of the season. Mostella finished that game with seven points in 19 minutes of action.

For Starters

Tennessee's starters were Kevin Punter, Devon Baulkman, Detrick Mostella, Robert Hubbs III, and Admiral Schofield.

It was the first time this season that Tennessee had utilized that starting lineup as senior forward Armani Moore missed the game due to injury.

Senior forward Derek Reese was the first Vol off the bench, checking in for Admiral Schofield at the 17:29 mark.

The Series

With the win, Tennessee improves to 80-42 all-time against Mississippi State.

That record includes a 29-27 mark in Starkville. UT has now won three consecutive games at Humphrey Coliseum, including a 61-47 win at The Hump last season.

Saturday marked the lone meeting between the Vols and Bulldogs this season. The two programs met in a home-and-home SEC series last year.

Up Next

Tennessee hosts two SEC contests next week when it welcomes in-state rival Vanderbilt and South Carolina to Thompson-Boling Arena.

The Vols and Commodores meet for the 189th time on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

On Saturday, UT faces off with the 19th-ranked Gamecocks. Tennessee fell at home to South Carolina last season, snapping a 15-game winning streak against the Gamecocks.

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