Postgame Notes: Alabama 63, Vols 57

Jan. 26, 2016

Postgame Notes

The Basics

Tennessee falls to 10-10 on the year and 3-5 in SEC play after falling to Alabama, 63-57 on Tuesday in Tuscaloosa.

The Vols shot just 3-of-24 to end to the game, being outscored by the Crimson Tide 29-9 over the final 13:54.

After building a 48-33 lead at the 13:54 mark of the second half, Tennessee went on a scoring drought of more than eight minutes. Alabama countered with a 14-0 run to pull within one at the 7:50 mark.

Tennessee attempted a season-high 33 3-point shots. The Vols went 8-of-33 from beyond the arc, good for 24.2 percent

Tennessee's 57 points were a season-low and marked just the second time this season it had failed to score more than 70 points.

Second-half Punter

Senior guard Kevin Punter Jr. led the Vols in scoring for the 15th time this season, scoring 15 points against Alabama.

Thirteen of Punter's 15 points in the second half, marking the third consecutive game that the bulk of his scoring has come over the final 20 minutes.

Punter scored 21 in the second half of Tennessee's 88-74 loss to Vanderbilt last Wednesday, and put up 27 in UT's upset win over No. 24 South Carolina on Saturday.

Over his last three games, Punter is averaging 20.3 ppg in the second half alone.

Moore Blocks

Senior Armani Moore recorded five blocks on Tuesday night, his highest total of blocked shots since tallying five against Texas A&M on Jan. 9.

Those blocks give him 116 for his career, moving him into a tie for 10th place on Tennessee's all-time blocks list. He surpassed Rob Jones' (1982-86) 112 career blocks and is now tied with Marcus Haislip (1999-02).

Moore, who stands 6-4, had entered the game as the SEC's second-leading shot blocker, averaging 1.9 bpg.

For Starters

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

Tuesday marked the third straight game that head coach Rick Barnes has utilized that starting lineup -- featuring five players shorter than 6-5 -- and the sixth game overall.

Senior forward Derek Reese was the first Vol off the bench Tuesday night, checking in at the 17:50 mark.

The Series

With the win, Tennessee falls to 67-78 all-time against Alabama.

The Vols are just 18-44 all-time in Tuscaloosa, including losses in three of their last four.

Saturday marked the lone meeting between the Vols and Crimson Tide this regular season. Tennessee and Alabama met just once last season as well, a 56-38 win for the Tide at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Up Next

Tennessee breaks from SEC play for its final non-conference tilt at TCU on Saturday. The game was scheduled as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Saturday's game in Fort Worth tips off at 2 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN2.

It will be just the second meeting all-time between the Volunteers and Horned Frogs. The two programs met last in 1991 -- a 73-59 win for TCU in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as part of the San Juan Shootout.

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