Postgame Notes: George Washington 73, Vols 70

Nov. 28, 2015

Postgame Notes

The Basics

Derek Reese won the opening tip on Friday night, making him a perfect 6-0 on opening tips this season.

Devon Baulkman knocked down a three to open the scoring for Tennessee. With that score, a different Vol has scored the first UT points in every game this season.

Friday night's game was the second of two opening games of the Barclays Center Classic at the Brooklyn site. No. 24 Cincinnati topped Nebraska 65-61 in Game One to advance to Saturday's title game.

Following the loss, Tennessee will take on Nebraska in the third-place game at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday.

For Starters

Tennessee’s starters were Kevin Punter, Robert Hubbs III, Devon Baulkman, Armani Moore, and Derek Reese.

The Vols are now 3-2 when opening with that lineup.

Guard Shembari Phillips and forward Jabari McGhee were the first off the bench for Tennessee, checking in at the 16:08 mark.

Punter's Homecoming

A Bronx native, Kevin Punter Jr. played in front a vocal contingent of friends and family at the Barclays Center on Friday night.

The senior put together another strong offensive outing, scoring a game-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

Punter had entered the contest as the third-leading scorer in the SEC at 21.8 ppg. He has scored a total of 74 points (24.7 ppg) over his last three ballgames.

He finished with a game-high three steals and delivered a big steal-and-score in the midst of Tennessee's late-game comeback.

Hubbs In Double Figures

Despite missing the bulk of the first half after being poked in the eye, guard Robert Hubbs III managed to reach double-digit scoring for the ninth time in his last 10 games, dating to last season.

Hubbs scored the first seven points of the second half for Tennessee and finished with 13 points for the game.

He is averaging 14.6 points per game over his last 10 games.

Baulkman For Three

Devon Baulkman opened the Vols' scoring with a three and hit another just prior to the 12-minute media timeout in the first half. That bucket marked the fourth consecutive game that he has hit multiple 3-pointers.

Baulkman would add a third 3-pointer midway through in the second half and pulled Tennessee to within one with his fourth trey of the game at the 1:55 mark.

The senior has now connected on 15 threes over his last four games -- an average of 3.75 per game.

Baulkman finished with 16 points for the game.

Offensive Highlights

Trailing by as many as 15 in the second half, Tennessee got all the way to within one on the heels of an 11-2 run late in the ballgame.

Kevin Punter Jr. anchored the run, scoring the first eight of the Vols' 11 points in the rally.

With Georgia Tech's size a potential challenge for the vertically challenged Vols, Tennessee won the battle in the paint by outscoring the Yellow Jackets 44-36 down low.

Sophomore forward Ray Kasongo matched his career-high with four points in the contest while also playing a season-best 12 minutes. He knocked down a pair of free throws to keep the Volunteers within striking distance late in the second half.

Senior Armani Moore handed out a team-high four assists, marking the third time this season he has paced the squad in helpers.

Defensive Highlights

The Vols used some key defensive plays to trigger their late run.

With Tennessee trailing 67-61, Kevin Punter Jr. jumped the passing lane for a steal and coasted to the other end for an easy two.

On the ensuing George Washington possession, Devon Baulkman recorded a block to deny the Colonials one scoring opportunity. Then, after GW recovered the offensive rebound, he stole the ball from Paul Jorgensen and found Punter at the other end for another lay-in.

That sequence left Tennessee trailing by just two, 67-65, with 2:43 still to play.

Ray Kasongo recorded his first block as a Volunteer, erasing a would-be GW layup with 5:31 remaining.

Up Next

The Vols have a quick turnaround as they return to the Barclays Center for the Classic's third-place game against Nebraska at 12 p.m. ET.

Tennessee trails the Huskers in the all-time series, 2-0.

It will be the first meeting between the two sides since 2004 -- a 62-61 Vols loss in Knoxville.

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes is 10-3 all-time against Nebraska, but has never faced current Huskers coach Tim Miles.

University of Tennessee Athletics