Vols come up short against Kentucky

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Coming off a loss at Missouri, Tennessee (12-13, 5-7 SEC) traveled to Lexington to take on #14 Kentucky (19-6, 19-3 SEC) with hopes of bouncing back and defeating Kentucky for the second time this season.

The Vols were able to keep the game close in the beginning stages of the first half, but Kentucky was just too strong and pulled ahead for good after the halftime break. Tennessee had a late-game push, but it came too little too late as they fell to the Wildcats 80-70.

Armani Moore led the Vols with 21 points and 11 rebounds, recording his second double-double of the season. Kevin Punter added 19 but struggled, shooting only 4-of-14 from the field.

The Vols managed to only shoot 37.9 percent from the floor and couldn’t get anything going on offense. Kentucky had a decent offensive night, shooting 41.9 percent from the field.

Jamal Murray led the Wildcats with a game-high 28 points on 8-of-12 shooting and also grabbed nine rebounds. Derek Willis also chipped in with a career high 25 points. Both players combined to make 10 of the 11 three pointers the Wildcats made in the second half.

Kevin Punter made a three pointer in the second half that gave him his 900th career point as a Vol. If he can average 19 points in the next five games, he will become the first ever two-year player to earn 1,000 points for the Vols.

With only two road games left this season, Tennessee is now a measly 1-9 in true SEC road games. The Vols return to Knoxville on Saturday for a matchup against Ben Simmons and the LSU Tigers. Tip-off is schedule for 5:30 p.m. ET.

Edited by Jordan Dajani

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