National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Tennessee 67, Tennessee St. 46
When: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, December 27, 2014
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Officials: # James Barker, # Kipp Kissinger, # Doug Sirmons
Attendance: 13459

Tennessee 67, Tennessee State 46: Kevin Punter scored 18 points while Josh Richardson contributed 16 points and eight assists as the Volunteers handed the visiting Tigers their 10th straight loss.

Robert Hubbs III scored a season-high 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and Armani Moore grabbed 11 rebounds for Tennessee (7-4), which outscored the Tigers 25-6 over the final 12:49 and won for the fifth time in its last six games. The Volunteers made 13 of their season-high 29 attempts from beyond the arc and won their ninth straight at home dating back to last season.

Marcus Roper led Tennessee State (2-11) with 16 points, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, while Jay Harris added 15 points on five 3-pointers. Darreon Reddick added seven points but committed seven of the Tigers’ 16 turnovers.

Tennessee led by as many as 14 in the first half before the Tigers closed on a 13-2 run to cut the deficit to 29-26 at the break. Harris drained a 3-pointer to put Tennessee State ahead 38-37 with 14:33 left before the Volunteers took control with a 16-2 run over the next seven minutes.

Tennessee State, which has scored more than 60 points once during its 10-game losing streak, pulled within 55-43 on Harris’ 3-pointer with just under seven minutes left. The Tigers tired down the stretch, however, and Richardson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the Volunteers’ lead to 61-43 with just over three minutes remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Tennessee, which held a 25-0 edge in points off turnovers, improved to 55-2 all-time against current members of the Ohio Valley Conference. … Punter was 7-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range. … Tennessee State was 11-of-23 from 3-point range but 1-of-5 from the foul line.
Top Game Performances
 
Tennessee St.   Tennessee
Marcus Roper 16 Scoring Kevin Punter 18
Charles Tucker 4 Assists Josh Richardson 8
Christian Mekowulu 6 Rebounds Armani Moore 11
Christian Mekowulu 1 Free Throws Made Armani Moore 2
Zachary Lee 1 Steals Kevin Punter 4
Xavier Richards 1 Blocks Derek Reese 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Tennessee St. 46 36.2 11-23 1-5 14 22 2 3 16
Tennessee 67 42.6 13-29 8-12 18 33 4 9 10