Postgame Notes: Arkansas 85, Vols 67

Feb. 6, 2016

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Postgame Notes

The Basics

Tennessee falls to 11-12 overall and 4-6 in the SEC after dropping an XX-XX decision at Arkansas on Saturday night. The loss pushes UT's losing streak in Fayetteville to four games, dating to 2011.

With the loss, Tennessee falls to 1-7 in true road games this season and 1-10 in all games played away from Knoxville.

Senior guard Kevin Punter Jr. led the Vols in scoring, putting up 24 on the night. It was his 17th game of the season of 20-plus points. His seven assists matched a career-high.

True freshman Shembari Phillips was second on the team in scoring with 12 points, and knocked down a career-best three 3-pointers.

Uncharacteristic From the Line

Tennessee entered the game as the top free-throw-shooting team in the SEC at 75.0 percent for the season, but the Vols shot just 64.7 percent on Saturday in Fayetteville, going 11-for-17.

The last time Tennessee shot worse than 65 percent from the foul line was Dec. 22 against ETSU. The Vols were 20-of-31 in that one, posting a free throw percentage of 64.5.

In the Vols' win over No. 20 Kentucky on Tuesday, the Orange and White went 30-of-34 from the foul line, good for 88.2 percent.

Mostella's 3-Point Streak

After starting 0-of-4 from beyond the arc, sophomore guard Detrick Mostella converted his first 3-pointer of the game with 4:11 remaining in the second half.

That triple pushed his streak of games with a made three to 13, the longest for a Volunteer this season. It remains the longest such streak for UT since Jordan McRae made at least one triple in 25 consecutive games to begin the 2013-14 season.

Mostella's streak began on Dec. 19 against Gonzaga. After going 1-of-7 from deep today, Mostella is 29-for-79 (.367) over his 13-game streak.

For Starters

Tennessee's starters were Kevin Punter Jr., Devon Baulkman, Armani Moore, Admiral Schofield, and Kyle Alexander for the second straight game.

Kyle Alexander made his fourth start of the year and Schofield started for the 16th consecutive game.

Sophomore guard Detrick Mostella was the first Vol off the bench on Saturday, checking in at the 16:53 mark.

Rocky Start

Tennessee was held to just 23 first-half points Saturday night, matching its second-lowest scoring half of the season. It was also just the second time UT has trailed at halftime of an SEC contest this season.

The Vols shot just 24.2 percent (8-for-33) from the field over the opening 20 minutes, including a 16.7 percent (2-of-12) clip from beyond the arc.

Meanwhile, Arkansas was 15-of-29 (51.7 percent) in the first half and knocked down four of its nine 3-point attempts (44.4 percent). The Razorbacks scored 18 of their 36 points in the paint, compared to just six for Tennessee.

The Series

With the loss, Tennessee falls to 19-17 all-time against Arkansas. UT's record in Arkansas now stands at 4-9.

Arkansas travels to Knoxville for the return leg on Feb. 27. The Vols are 11-2 all-time against the Razorbacks in Knoxville, including a 74-69 win over 19th-ranked Arkansas last season.

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes falls to 2-4 all-time against Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson.

Up Next

SEC play rolls on for Tennessee on Tuesday when it welcomes Auburn to Thompson-Boling Arena.

Tuesday's game tips off at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.

The Vols will be looking to avenge an 83-77 loss suffered in the SEC-opener at Auburn on Jan. 2. Kevin Punter Jr. had 31 points and Admiral Schofield added 22 in UT's first meeting with the Tigers.

Tennessee is 47-7 all-time against Auburn in Knoxville. The Vols lead the all-time series 75-38.

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