Texas A&M
13-5, 4-2
Tennessee
12-6, 4-2
Men's Hoops Takes Down Tennessee for Fourth Straight SEC Win
Jan 24, 2015 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Jalen Jones scored 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds Saturday as Texas A&M outlasted Tennessee 67-61 for its fourth straight victory.
All four wins have come in Southeastern Conference competition, giving the Aggies (13-5, 4-2 SEC) their longest conference winning streak since moving from the Big 12 to the SEC in 2012.
Tennessee (12-6, 4-2) had cut a 17-point, second-half deficit down to five when Volunteers guard Kevin Punter missed a driving layup attempt with 1:13 remaining. Texas A&M went 5 of 6 from the free-throw line the rest of the way to seal the victory.
Danuel House scored 15 points and Alex Caruso added 13 for Texas A&M.
Punter scored 17 and Josh Richardson and Robert Hubbs each added 12 for Tennessee, which lost for just the second time in its last 10 games. Punter shot 5 of 9 for his 17 points, but his teammates went a combined 15 of 43.
Although this marked only the fourth time Tennessee has faced Texas A&M since the Aggies joined the SEC -- they've met nine times overall -- all of their previous matchups as conference rivals had proved memorable.
Tennessee won 93-85 at Texas A&M two seasons ago in the longest game in Vols history. Texas A&M swept both meetings last season with a 57-56 victory in Knoxville and a 68-65 overtime triumph at College Station.
This one wasn't quite as suspenseful, but Tennessee did make it interesting in the final minutes.
Texas A&M had rallied from a halftime deficit in each of its last three wins, but the Aggies actually led 25-23 at the intermission after holding Tennessee to its lowest first-half point total of the season.
The Aggies opened the second half on a 20-5 run to grab a 17-point edge. Texas A&M continued stifling Tennessee's offense while also taking command of the glass to create numerous second-chance opportunities.
Texas A&M outrebounded Tennessee 34-27 and outscored the Vols 30-10 in points in the paint. Tennessee had more 3-point shots (29) than two-point attempts (23).
Tennessee heated up down the stretch as it attempted to creep back into the game, but it couldn't come all the way back.
TEAM RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
● Texas A&M ran its winning streak to four games with the 67-61 win at Thompson-Boling Arena Saturday afternoon ... the Aggies are 13-5 on the year and 4-2 in SEC play.
● The victory also gave the Aggies their longest winning streak in SEC play since joining the conference for the 2012-13 season and moved A&M into a tie for second place in the league standings.
● The Aggies have now won three straight contests in the series vs. Tennessee.
TEAM NOTES
● Texas A&M enjoyed a 30-10 advantage in points in the paint as well as a 34-27 edge in rebounding.
● A&M also enjoyed a 10-0 advantage in fast break point.
● Displaying great ball movement, the Aggies recorded 17 assists on 25 made baskets.
● For the game, the Aggies shot 12-for-15 from the free throw line (80%).
● Spurred on by a 10-0 run midway through the opening period, Texas A&M owned a 25-23 halftime lead.
● Texas A&M used the starting line-up combination of Alex Caruso, Jordan Green, Danuel House, Jalen Jones and Kourtney Roberson for the 10th time this season (8-2).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
● Junior Jalen Jones highlighted three Aggies in double-digit scoring, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds, two steals and an assist ... For the Dallas native, the performance was his 13th double-digit point contest in 16 games played this season.
● Juniors Alex Caruso and Danuel House ended play with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
● A&M head coach Billy Kennedy is now 63-54 in his fourth season at Texas A&M and 274-233 in 17 years as a head coach.
UP NEXT
● Texas A&M continues its two-game road swing by traveling to Auburn, Ala., on Tuesday to face Auburn in an 8 p.m. contest inside Auburn Arena ... the contest will be televised by SEC Network.
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
