National Basketball Association
Auburn 83, Tennessee 77
When: 2:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 2, 2016
Where: Auburn Arena, Auburn, Alabama
Officials:
# J.B. DeRosa, # Kevin Fehr, # Olandis Poole
Attendance:
8614
By The Sports Xchange
Junior guard Kareem Canty and freshman guard Bryce Brown each scored 20 points, both knocked down five 3-point shots, as Auburn posted an 83-77 victory over Tennessee in the SEC opener for both schools on Saturday at Auburn, Ala.
Senior forward Tyler Harris added 19 points and 13 rebounds as the Tigers (7-5) halted a two-game losing streak. Auburn went 12-of-26 from 3-point range while ending an eight-game losing streak against the Volunteers.
Senior guard Kevin Punter matched his season high of 31 points and grabbed six rebounds for Tennessee (7-6).
Freshman forward Admiral Schofield contributed season-highs of 22 points and eight rebounds, and junior guard Robert Hubbs III added 13 points for the Volunteers, who were only 3-of-28 from 3-point range.
Auburn lost sophomore guard TJ Lang late in the first half after he was elbowed in the mouth. The Tigers were already shorthanded in the backcourt, as they played without junior guard T.J. Dunans for the second straight game because of an injured right knee.
Auburn trailed by two at halftime before scoring the first eight points of the second half to take a 42-36 lead. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Canty and senior forward Jordon Granger gave the Tigers a 55-46 edge with 11:18 to play.
The Volunteers were within six after a dunk by Schofield with 6:21 remaining, but Canty drained a 3-pointer and senior forward Cinmeon Bowers drove for a hoop to give Auburn a 68-57 lead with 5:27 to play.
Tennessee pulled to within 80-75 on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Detrick Mostella with 26.5 seconds left and later was within four points before Auburn closed it out.
The Tigers jumped to a 22-10 lead after a 9-0 burst consisting of a three-point play by Harris and back-to-back 3-pointers by Lang and Canty.
The Volunteers followed with the next 11 points and Punter's jumper pulled them within 22-21 with 6:36 remaining.
Tennessee caught the Tigers at 31-31 on Punter's basket with 2:26 remaining. A 3-pointer by Schofield with one minute left sent the Volunteers into the break with a 36-34 advantage.
Top Game Performances
| Tennessee |
|
Auburn |
|
Kevin Punter 31 |
Scoring |
Bryce Brown 20 |
|
Armani Moore 4 |
Assists |
Kareem Canty 4 |
|
Armani Moore 9 |
Rebounds |
Tyler Harris 13 |
|
Kevin Punter 9 |
Free Throws Made |
Tyler Harris 7 |
|
Detrick Mostella 1 |
Steals |
Kareem Canty 2 |
|
Devon Baulkman 1 |
Blocks |
Jordon Granger 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Tennessee
|
77 |
38.0 |
3-28 |
14-19 |
15 |
41 |
3 |
3 |
12 |
| Auburn
|
83 |
52.8 |
12-26 |
15-27 |
13 |
36 |
3 |
7 |
17 |
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