Vols Go Cold, Lose to Alabama 56-38
The Vols lost their first game at home in the Donnie Tyndall era. How will the young team bounce back? PHOTO: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
The Tennessee Volunteers basketball team had their first SEC home game of the 2014-15 season Saturday afternoon, and just like they have so many times this season, the Vols trailed at halftime in a close game.
The Alabama Crimson Tide held a 29-24 advantage at the half thanks to some advantageous scoring. They forced 9 Tennessee turnovers and scored 12 points off those turnovers.
The Vols stormed back at the beginning of the 2nd half, reclaiming the lead multiple times. But Alabama clamped down on defense, and the Vols went stone cold from the field, failing to make a field goal for over thirteen and a half minutes, not scoring till after the one minute mark of the 2nd half.
In the end, Alabama’s defense was too much for Tennessee, as the Tide prevailed 56-38, giving Donnie Tyndall his first loss at home as Tennessee’s head coach.
Alabama ended the game on a 21-2 run, and the Vols made one field goal in the last 14 and a half minutes. The Vols shot 31.1% from the floor, including 2-of-17 (11.8%) from three-point range. The Vols only scored 14 points in the 2nd half.
Kevin Punter’s night was a microcosm of Tennessee’s game as a whole. Punter missed all 7 of his shots and finished with just 2 points and 3 assists. Josh Richardson once again led the Vols in scoring, dropping 17 points on the Tide to go along with 3 rebounds. Armani Moore scored 8 points and pulled down 9 rebounds.
Alabama dominated down low, outscoring the Vols 22-14 in the paint and out-rebounded Tennessee 34-29. Tennessee’s lack of size and depth down low was exposed in this game, as the Vols’ guards could not penetrate Alabama’s zone.
The Tennessee football team had a rough time guarding guys with the last name of “Cooper” in the 2014 season, and that trend continued for the basketball team today. Rodney Cooper led Alabama in scoring with 17 points, chipping in 5 assists and 5 rebounds as well.
The loss drops Tennessee’s record to 9-5 (1-1), and they will host Arkansas Tuesday night at 7 PM.