Vols Fall to Texas A&M, 67-61

Jan 24, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Vols forward Armani Moore (4) and Texas A&M Aggies guard Alex Caruso (21) battle for a loose ball during the game at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

The Tennessee Volunteers took the court Saturday afternoon looking to win their 4th straight conference game and open up the SEC slate at 5-1 in the conference. Texas A&M, a team that plagued the Vols last season, looked to end Tennessee’s streak when the two faced off at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Both teams played solid defense in the 1st half, as Texas A&M led 25-23 at halftime. The Aggies shot only 36.7% from the field in the 1st half, but Tennessee was even worse, making only 25% of their shots. Free throws kept the Vols in it, however, as they were a perfect 8-of-8 from the line in the 1st half.

The second half started with a bang for Texas A&M, as they opened the half on a 7-0 run and eventually went on to make it a 45-28 lead with 12:10 left in the game. The Vols came out cold to start the 2nd half, and the Aggies couldn’t miss.

From there, the Vols went on a couple runs, twice trimming the lead to 9 points. But every time Tennessee would look like they found some sort of rhythm, the Aggies had some sort of answer to just keep it out of reach.

Then the lights came on for the Vols, and what looked like a potential blowout became a game with only a few minutes left. Tennessee made it a 60-55 game with 1:53 left.

Kevin Punter had one of his best games a Vol against the Aggies, but one of his few misses will likely be what he remembers from this game. Punter had a chance to hit a layup with a little over a minute left that would’ve made it a one possession game, but the ball didn’t go in, and the Aggies gained possession.

The Vols then cut it to 5 again with a Hubbs three with 29 seconds left and then cut it to 4 with 13 seconds left. But a fast break and wide open basket for the Aggies ended what little hope remained for the Vols, and Tennessee fell 67-61 to Texas A&M.

Tennessee improved its shooting in the 2nd half, hitting 50% of their shots, including 11 three pointers. But the Aggies made 63.6% of their field goal attempts and dominated the paint, outscoring the Vols 30-10 from down low.

The Aggies also out-rebounded the Vols 34-27, including 22-16 on the defensive boards. The Vols attempted only 3 free throws in the 2nd half after hitting 8 in the 1st.

Kevin Punter led the Vols in scoring with 17 points, going 5-of-7 from three. Josh Richardson only scored 2 points in the 1st half, but he finally found his shot in the 2nd half, totaling 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Robert Hubbs added 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting, and Devon Baulkman gave the Vols 7 points, all in the 1st half.

The loss drops the Vols to 12-6 overall and 4-2 in the SEC. Texas A&M has now beaten the Vols 3 straight times, including twice last season. The Vols will go on the road to take on Arkansas on Tuesday and look to start another winning streak.