Detrick Mostella Shoots Vols to Key Win at ETSU

I didn’t see any of it, but man was I pleased to pull up the final score on my phone and find the Vols 72-68 victors in a sold out building at ETSU tonight.

Detrick Mostella came off the bench as usual and scored 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting, 3-of-7 from behind the arc. No other Vol took more than nine shots. Mostella also grabbed seven rebounds, helping the Vols go +9 in that department.

ETSU took a 65-64 lead with 2:13 to play, but the Vols answered with an 11-0 run. One year ago today the Vols used a 15-2 run at the end of the game to put away ETSU in Knoxville.

Grant Williams was credited with six points, nine rebounds, and four blocks. Lew Evans and Kyle Alexander each scored six points, which may not be much but it’s more than we’ve come to expect from either of Tennessee’s most experienced post players. The Vols survived ETSU shooting 47.1% from the arc.

Tennessee returns to action one week from tonight in the SEC opener at Texas A&M. While they’ll be without John Fulkerson for at least another month, there’s a chance Jordan Bone could return to the lineup for the first time since the Wisconsin game as his stress fracture heals. This was a big win for the Vols to get heading into conference play, giving the team its first true road win over a strong ETSU squad and launching Tennessee nearly 50 spots in the RPI to 109 as conference play begins.