After leading by just four at the half, Tennessee used a 55-point second half to pull away from Army for a 95-80 victory. With the win the Vols moved to 4-1 on the season – they’ll look to move to 5-1 against George Washington in New York on Friday (9 pm, TV: American Sports Network). Here are five observations from the game.
Tennessee Attacks the Bucket: The Vols didn’t play poorly in the first half by any stretch, but their offense never seemed to fully click. They only attempted two free-throws in the game’s opening period but regrouped at the break and came out aggressive. Tennessee attacked the basket in the second half as evidenced by their 15 trips to the charity stripe. That aggressiveness would pay dividends.
Hot Shooting 2nd Half: Tennessee spaced the floor well and moved the ball with ease after the break. The Volunteers shot a scorching 57.6% from the floor and 72.7% from 3-point range in the second half on their way to a 55-point period.
Vols Win Turnover Battle: It’s no secret Barnes wants his team to get up and down the floor, but he knows his team has a thin margin for error when it comes to turnovers. They need to run but they can’t afford to lose the turnover battle. In a game which saw them score 95 points, Barnes’ squad only turned it over seven times while forcing Army to turn it over 14 times. Tennessee converted those turnovers in 18 points and held a +11 margin in points off turnovers at the final whistle. The Vols’ disciplined pace turned what easily could have been a close game into a comfortable victory.
Armani Moore’s Career Day: Vol forward Armani Moore recorded his first career 20 point game last week against Marshall and narrowly missed a 30-point performance against Army. Moore was an efficient 11-20 from the floor (3-4 from 3) on his way to a 29-point night. He added eight rebounds and six assists.
Reese Grabs 11 Rebounds, Reward with a 3: Derek Reese is Tennessee’s tallest starter and is certainly playing like it. He grabbed 11 rebounds and narrowly missed a double-double with nine points. Reese has recorded double-digit boards in three of Tennessee’s five games this season. He supposedly had a deal with Barnes that he could attempt a 3 if he pulled down 10 rebounds. Reese got his attempt and nailed it. The bench, including Barnes, erupted.
Final Stats:
Final Stats: pic.twitter.com/3mIatN1PN4
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 25, 2015
