Postgame Notes: Tennessee 51, Xavier 47

Dec. 29, 2012

Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery

Numbers of Interest

Here are a few numbers of interest:

» UT's nine blocks set a new season high.

» The Tennessee bench scored 21 points, led by Jordan McRae's 8-point night.

» UT scored 19 points off turnovers while the Musketeers scored just six points off turnovers.

32.7

» Tennessee held Xavier to just 32.7 percent shooting from the floor.

» Yemi Makanjuola came off the bench and hauled down a team-high eight rebounds.

THE SERIES

• The Vols lead their all-time series with the Musketeers, 11-4. UT is 7-1 against Xavier in Knoxville.
• Tennessee has won its last four games against Xavier.
• Tennessee is 41-25 all-time against current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
• The game's attendance of 18,504 was a season high.

FOR STARTERS

• Junior guard Trae Golden, senior forward Kenny Hall, senior guard Skylar McBee, sophomore guard Josh Richardson and sophomore forward Jarnell Stokes.
• Xavier's Justin Martin scored the first points of the game on a layup at the 19:38 mark.
• Jarnell Stokes netted Tennessee's first points when he drained two free throws with 19:07 on the clock in the first half.
• Tennessee's first field goal was a 3-pointer by Skylar McBee with 17:51 remaining in the first half.
• Junior guard Jordan McCrae was the first player subbed in for Tennessee, checking in with 17:03 left in the first half.

HOME COOKIN': 6 STRAIGHT AT THOMPSON-BOLING

• Tennessee has won six straight games in Thompson-Boling Arena.
• The Vols are 6-0 at home this season and 21-4 all-time at home under head coach Cuonzo Martin.
• UT is 13-0 at home in regular-season games since losing to Kentucky, 65-62, on Jan. 14.

STELLAR TENNESSEE DEFENSE

• Tennesssee forced 19 Xavier turnovers, the most in a single game in the Cuonzo Martin era
• Xavier's 47 points are the third-fewest by a UT opponent under Martin
• Xavier's .327 field-goal percentage ranks as the second lowest by at Tennessee opponent this season.
• UT's nine blocks were the most under head coach Cuonzo Martin.

SHUT 'EM DOWN: 5-MINUTE DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE

• Tennessee held Xavier scoreless for a stretch of 6:01 in the second half, long enought for the Vols to climb back to tie the game at 33-33.
• Xavier was held without a field goal for a stretch of 10:16. UT pulled ahead, 42-36.
• This season, Tennessee has put together six spans during which opponents have been held scoreless for longer than five minutes. Under head coach Cuonzo Martin, the Vols have 13 spans of five-minute scoreless defense.

REESE'S BIG DECEMBER DEBUT

• Freshman guard Derek Reese made his UT debut, checking in at the 15:18 mark of the first half.
• After getting fouled on a fast break at the 14:27 mark of the second half, Reese scored his first collegiate point, converting the second of his two free throws.
• Reese drained a 3-pointer from the right side with 13:03 remaining to ignite the crowd during an 10-0 Tennessee run. That basket brought the Vols to within 33-31.
• The rookie ignited the home crowd again when he gave the Vols their first lead since falling behind with 12:03 left in the first half. Reese made a 3-pointer from the right side with 8:14 remaining in the game to push UT ahead, 38-35.
• Reese finished with seven points in his collegiate debut.

RICHARDSON'S BIG NIGHT

• Josh Richardson tied his career high with a team-high 12 points.
• Richardson enjoyed a stretch of eight made shots in a row. He made his last five shots in Tennessee's 66-52 win over Western Carolna and three shots in the first half on Saturday. That streak ended when he missed a three pointer from the right wing at the 19:39 mark of the sencond half.

CHARGE IT TO MAKANJUOLA

• Yemi Makanjuola drew a charge by Xavier's Taylor Travis with 14:00 remaining in the second half. Makanjuola drew another charge when Semaj Christon came barrelling into him under the basket with 1:21 remaining.
• Makanjuola has five charges drawn this season season and 12 in his career.

AT THE HALF

• Both teams struggled from the field in the first half. UT shot just 36 percent (9-of-25) and Xavier shot just 30.6 percent (11-of-36).
• Xavier held a 29-16 rebounding edge in the first half.
• The Vols and Musketeers combined to shoot just 2-of-20 from beyond the arc (UT: 1-of-12, XU: 1-of-6).
• Xavier scored 10 second-chance points.
• Tennesssee scored nine points off turnovers.

FIRST BUCKET FOR LOPEZ

• Sophomore Brandon Lopez made the first basket of his UT career in the first half, sinking a jumper at the 13:37 mark.
• Lopez set a new career high with 13 minutes played. His previous career high was seven.

MOORE'S DUNK

• Armani Moore slammed home a dunk on a fast break with 1:05 remaining, before halftime, marking the first dunk of his career and his first points in five games.

UP NEXT

• The Vols will ring in the new year with the fifth game of their six-game homestand against in-state foe Memphis on Jan. 4. The game will be televised on ESPN2 with tipoff slated for 8 p.m.
• That game will mark exactly one year since Tennessee and Memphis last squared off. The Tigers took a 69-51 win on Jan. 4, 2012, in Memphis.

University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Trae Golden

Kenny Hall

Brandon Lopez

Yemi Makanjuola

Skylar McBee

Jordan McRae

Armani Moore

Derek Reese

Josh Richardson

Jarnell Stokes

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