Box Score

Tennessee (9-4) began the New Year on the wrong foot, stumbling out of the January starting blocks tonight and falling to Memphis 85-80 in a wild contest. The Vols played themselves into a huge hole early on and trailed by as many as 21 points in the second half before mounting a furious comeback that fell just short.

The Vols trailed 42-28 at halftime and 62-41 with 12:55 left in the game, but scored 52 points in the second half to claw back into contention before the rally fell short in the final moments.

"I thought it was a great atmosphere. I thought the crowd really did a good job getting us back in the game when we made some shots, made some plays," Martin said of what was a tough loss. "Memphis did a good job shooting the ball. They did a great job, penetrating, bringing the defense down. Finding guys. Those guys struggled at times but they made shots, made plays, and that's what good players do.

"We lost the ballgame. We came in expecting to win and we lost. My biggest concern is that a couple of guys need to play better, and not necessarily in terms of production. We just have to play hard and compete. A couple of guys have to play harder."


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