Postgame Notes: TCU 75, Vols 63 - University of Tennessee Athletics

Jan. 30, 2016

Postgame Notes

The Basics

Tennessee falls to 10-11 after dropping an 75-63 decision at TCU on Saturday. With the loss, UT will finish the year with a 7-6 record in non-conference games. All six of those losses came on the road.

With the loss, Tennessee falls below .500 for the first time this season.

Senior guard Kevin Punter Jr. led the Vols in scoring, putting up 24 on the day. It was his 14th game of 20-plus points this season.

Saturday's game was contested as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Tennessee is now 1-1 as part of the challenge, while TCU is 3-0.

Tale of Two Halves

Tennessee took a 41-27 lead into halftime Saturday, but was outscored 48-22 in the second period as it fell by a 12-point margin.

The Vols limited TCU to just 25.8 percent shooting in the first half (8-for-31), their best defensive half since holding Gardner-Webb to 25.7 percent shooting (9-of-35) during the second half of their Nov. 22 contest. However, TCU responded by shooting 62.5 percent in the second half (15-for-24), the second-best single-half performance by any UT opponent this season (Texas A&M shot 63.3 percent from the floor in its 92-88 win over Tennessee on Jan. 9).

Tennessee built its first-half lead by shooting 42.9 percent from the field (15-of-35) and 50 percent from three (8-of-16) over the opening 20 minutes. In the second half, the Vols shot 23.5 percent (8-of-34) and went 0-of-15 from distance.

The Vols also forced eight first-half turnovers, but came up with only four takeaways in the second half.

Alexander's Influence

Tennessee freshman Kyle Alexander played a career-high 31 minutes on Saturday, turning in one of the best defensive efforts of his young career.

Alexander finished the game with career-highs in both rebounds and blocks, recording 11 and six, respectively.

His 11 rebounds led the team and his six blocks tie for the most ever recorded in a single game for Tennessee. He was the first Vol to record six blocks in a game since Wayne Chism did it at Kansas in 2009.

He also had four points on the day, his most since scoring five against ETSU on Dec. 22.

Alexander had not played more than 20 minutes since recording 22 off the bench against Gonzaga on Dec. 19. He had two points, three blocks, and six rebounds in that contest.

Mostella's 3-Point Streak

Sophomore guard Detrick Mostella knocked down his 30th 3-pointer of the season at the 17:40 mark of the first half. That make gave Mostella 12 consecutive games with a made three.

The streak is the longest for a Volunteer this season, besting Devon Baulkman's 11-game stretch with a made 3-pointer that lasted from Nov. 16 to Dec. 29. It is also the longest 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 2-of-7 from deep today, Mostella is 29-for-69 (.420) over his 12-game streak.

For Starters

Tennessee's starters were Kevin Punter Jr., Devon Baulkman, Robert Hubbs III, Admiral Schofield, and Admiral Schofield.

Tuesday marked the fourth straight game that head coach Rick Barnes has utilized that starting lineup -- featuring five players shorter than 6-5 -- and the seventh game overall.

Sophomore guard Detrick Mostella was the first Vol off the bench on Saturday, checking in at the 18:27 mark.

Free Throw Disparity

After attempting a season-high 32 free throws in a win over No. 24 South Carolina last Saturday, Tennessee has attempted just 18 free throws over its last two games.

The Vols went a perfect 5-for-5 from the line on Tuesday against Alabama before shooting 9-for-13 at the charity stripe on Saturday.

TCU attempted 38 free throws on Saturday, compared to 13 from the Vols.

The Series

With the loss, Tennessee falls to 0-2 all-time against TCU. The Horned Frogs won the only other meeting between the two programs, a 73-59 final tally in 1991.

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes suffers his first-ever loss to TCU, falling to 8-1 for his career.

Up Next

Tennessee returns to Knoxville for a Super Tuesday tilt with No. 20 Kentucky.

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

It will be the 219th meeting all-time between the Vols and Wildcats. UT trails 67-151 in the series and is 47-52 in Knoxville.

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