University of Tennessee Athletics
Moore Delivers Career Day
January 31, 2015 | Men's Basketball
By Brian Rice
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
UTSports.com
The junior scored a career-high 19 points and recorded his fourth double-double of the year by collecting 13 rebounds in Tennessee's 71-63 win over Auburn at Thompson-Boling Arena.
But beyond the numbers he put up, it was the emotional lift he gave Tennessee with the timing of the plays he made in getting those numbers.
"It is pretty tough to top 19 points and 13 rebounds," head coach Donnie Tyndall said. "He's had some big games. The thing about Armani is that he is consistent in his effort, not just on game night, but in practice. There is a reason he puts on the numbers that he does because he does it everyday in practice just like today."
His consistent effort in a game that went back-and-forth with eight lead changes was a difference for UT.
"Basketball is a game of runs and you can't get down because great players are going to make some great shots," Moore said. "Our team did a great of staying poised an doing in to what we had to do. Once they went on their run, it was over and we retaliated."
Moore led a 6-0 run all on his own, doing so in one second of clock time.
With 13:05 left in the second half, Moore drove to the hoop and hit a floater from just inside the free throw line. In the process, he was fouled by Auburn's Trayvon Reed, contact that was ruled to be flagrant, giving Moore two free throws and the ball. He hit both and scored off the in-bounds pass to turn a 43-39 deficit into a 45-43 Tennessee lead.
The foul was one of three technical called on the afternoon in a game that was tense and physical from the start. Keeping his cool and turning the whistle into a lead was a building block for Moore's game.
"Coming into the game, Coach Tyndall told us that they were going to try and get in our heads, but we can't be a part of that," Moore said. "We just had to know what we wanted to do and that's win the game."
He did show a little bit of emotion of his own with a thunderous one-handed put-back dunk in the first half and a big block out of bounds in the second period.
He was also able to take advantage of the match-ups presented to him on the offensive end.
"I always feel like if I have a smaller guy on me, I feel like I have an advantage," Moore said. "My teammates did a great job getting me the ball down low."
