March 11, 2017
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Hot hands and defense helped Vanderbilt win two games in two days at the 2017 SEC Tournament. Unfortunately for the ‘Dores, that shooting cooled off in the conference semifinals.
The 7-seed Commodores couldn’t overcome a sluggish outing against 3-seed Arkansas on Saturday, falling to the Razorbacks, 76-62, in the SEC Tournament semifinals at Bridgestone Arena.
Let’s clean the glass from Vanderbilt’s SEC tournament loss:
THE SKINNY: Arkansas asserted its dominance early with a 9-0 run to begin the game. Vanderbilt then shot back with a 12-2 run, taking its first lead of the game, 12-11, on two Riley LaChance free throws at the 11:57 mark. Despite the Razorbacks shooting 44 percent from the floor, they carried a slim 35-31 lead into halftime. But that advantage ballooned after the break; Arkansas shot 51.6 percent in the second half to overwhelm a colder Vanderbilt squad.
TURNING POINT: The start of the second half. Vanderbilt trailed by just four points at intermission, but its offense lost energy when play resumed. Arkansas started the second half on a 10-0 run to lead 45-31, forcing a timeout from Bryce Drew. The Razorbacks used that stretch to build momentum, and they ended up leading by as many as 27 points.
IMPACT PLAYER: Moses Kingsley. The Preseason SEC Player of the Year notched a double-double against Vanderbilt with 12 points (6-10 shooting) and 13 rebounds. The physical Kingsley was aggressive in the post against the likes of Luke Kornet and Djery Baptiste and helped complement the Razorbacks’ stable of shooters.
STARTLING STAT: 46 – Points in the paint for Arkansas. The Razorbacks made the most of easy baskets against Vanderbilt, and it wasn’t just Kingsley doing the damage. Arkansas’ guards Jaylen Barford (18 points) and Dusty Hannahs (16) knifed their way through the Commodores’ defense and produced with high-percentage buckets. By halftime, Arkansas had amassed 26 of its 35 points in the paint.
WHAT IT MEANS: Vanderbilt reached its first SEC Tournament semifinal since 2013, capping its postseason résumé with six top-50 wins, 10 top-100 wins and the No. 1 overall strength of schedule.
QUOTABLE: “I thought the will was there. We were trying to make plays. We were tryng to make things happen. It just seemed like Arkansas was a little faster to the ball, a little faster to the rim.” -Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew.
WHAT’S NEXT: Vanderbilt finishes the season 19-15 (10-8 SEC) and awaits its postseason destination.
