Postgame Notes: Auburn 83, Vols 77

Jan. 2, 2016

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Postgame Notes

The Basics

Tennessee falls to 7-6 on the season and 0-1 to begin Southeastern Conference play.

The Vols suffer just their third loss to begin SEC play over the last 11 seasons.

UT is still seeking a win away from Knoxville as all six of its losses have come away from Thompson-Boling Arena.

It was also Tennessee's first loss this season when leading at halftime, though the Vols led by just two, 36-34, at intermission.

Punter's Points

Kevin Punter Jr. scored 31 points on Saturday, matching his career-high and giving him nine games of 20-plus points over his last 10.

Punter had entered the game averaging 22.2 points per game -- the second-highest average in the SEC.

Punter scored 18 points in the first half, including a stretch of 14 consecutive points during a period of about five minutes late in the period. It was his highest-scoring half of the season (he scored 17 in the second half vs. Marshall (11/19/15) and 17 in the first half at Butler (12/12/15)).

Punter scored 31 points in the season-opener vs. UNC Asheville on Nov. 13, 2015 -- the first 30-plus-point effort of his career.

Schofield's Career Day

Getting his sixth consecutive start, true freshman Admiral Schofield turned in a career performance as he set new season-highs in both points and rebounds.

Schofield finished with 22 total points, scoring 11 in both the first and second halves. Schofield's put up 19 shots in the game -- more than double his previous season-high of seven -- and knocked down two of UT's three made 3-pointers on the afternoon.

Schofield also finished with a season-best eight rebounds, including a team-high five on the offensive end.

Auburn's Hot Shooting

As a team, Auburn went 12-of-26 (.462) from beyond the arc against the Vols.

That figure marks the most three-pointers made against Tennessee this season and matches the best 3-point percentage for an opponent against UT (Nebraska also shot .462, going 6-of-13).

Auburn's season-best for 3-pointers made this season was 17 against Northwestern State. The Tigers shot .531 from beyond the arc in that one.

Vols on the Glass

Tennessee outrebounded Auburn by a final tally of 48-37.

The Vols finished with 25 defensive rebounds and 23 boards on the offensive end. The 23 offensive rebounds are the second-most for Tennessee this season after finishing with 24 at Georgia Tech on Nov. 16, 2015.

Those 23 offensive rebounds resulted in 19 second-chance points for the Vols.

Armani Moore was Tennessee's leading rebounder, pulling in nine boards, and he has now led the Vols on the glass in three straight games. Admiral Schofield was UT's best rebounder on the offensive end as five of his season-best eight boards resulted in second-chance opportunities for the Vols.

Vol Struggles From Deep

The Vols shot just 3-of-28 (.107) from the 3-point line at Auburn on Saturday.

The 28 attempts match the most 3-point field goals attempted by the Vols this season (28 vs. Garnder Webb, 11/22/15)

Admiral Schofield (2-for-6) and Detrick Mostella (1-for-6) were the only Tennessee players to connect on 3-pointers on Saturday.

For Starters

Tennessee's starters were Kevin Punter, Devon Baulkman, Admiral Schofield, Armani Moore, and Derek Reese.

The Vols are now 1-3 utilizing that starting lineup.

Junior wing Robert Hubbs III and sophomore guard Detrick Mostella were the first Vols off the bench, checking in at the 15:16 mark.

The Series

With the loss, Tennessee's eight-game winning streak against Auburn dating to 2009 is snapped.

Tennessee falls to 75-38 all-time against Auburn and to 22-27 when facing the Tigers on the road.

Up Next

Tennessee is back in Knoxville for its first home SEC contests of the season next week when hosts Florida and Texas A&M at Thompson-Boling Arena.

The Vols and Gators square off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night on ESPN2. It will be the 129th meeting all-time between the two programs and Tennessee is 44-16 against UF in Knoxville.

Saturday's contest vs. Texas A&M starts at 1 p.m. and features an SEC Network broadcast.

It is only the 10th meeting all-time between the Vols and Aggies, with UT holding a 5-4 edge in the series.

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