National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Tennessee 71, Auburn 63
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 31, 2015
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Officials: # James Breeding, # Tony Henderson, # CJ Washington
Attendance: 18439

Tennessee 71, Auburn 63: Armani Moore scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the host Volunteers spoiled ex-coach Bruce Pearl's return to Thompson-Boling Arena.

Kevin Punter scored 17 points – including 3-of-4 beyond the arc – Josh Richardson finished with 15 points and six assists and Derek Reese added 11 points for Tennessee (13-7, 5-3 SEC), which snapped a two-game losing streak. The Volunteers forced 18 turnovers and finished with a 20-13 edge in points off turnovers.

KT Harrell scored 16 points to lead Auburn (10-11, 2-6), which dropped its fourth straight game. Tahj Shamsid-Deen and Antoine Mason each had 14 points while Cinmeon Bowers added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers.

Shamsid-Deen, who left Auburn's 71-61 home loss to Texas A&M on Tuesday night in the first half after reinjuring his right shoulder, showed no ill effects of the injury in the first half with 10 points – including a pair of 3-pointers – as the Tigers built a 19-11 lead in the first 11 minutes. But Punter scored five points to spark a 14-3 run by the Volunteers late in the first half to give Tennessee a 33-29 halftime edge.

The lead changed hands five times in the first nine minutes of the second half with Mason's 3-pointer giving Auburn its final lead at 52-49. Tennessee, taking advantage of three Tiger turnovers, followed with an 11-0 run to takes its biggest advantage of the game and Auburn never got closer than four points in the final 5 1/2 minutes.

GAME NOTEBOOK:
Auburn fell to 0-7 in road games this season. ... Auburn 7-2 freshman C Trayvon Reed, whistled earlier for a technical foul, was ejected with 13:05 to go after being called for a flagrant-2 foul when he elbowed a driving Moore in the jaw. ... The double-double was Moore's fourth of the season.
Top Game Performances
 
Auburn   Tennessee
KT Harrell 16 Scoring Armani Moore 19
KT Harrell 3 Assists Josh Richardson 6
Cinmeon Bowers 8 Rebounds Armani Moore 13
Antoine Mason 7 Free Throws Made Josh Richardson 7
Cinmeon Bowers 1 Steals Armani Moore 2
Cinmeon Bowers 1 Blocks Armani Moore 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Auburn 63 44.4 8-18 15-22 11 23 2 4 18
Tennessee 71 40.8 5-19 26-31 11 31 3 7 13