Jan. 14, 2017
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
On campus in Nashville – Vanderbilt wasn’t able to give first-year coach Bryce Drew his first win over Tennessee on Saturday night. Despite a hot-shooting effort, the Commodores (8-9, 2-3 SEC) failed to muster enough defense to slow down rival Volunteers (9-8, 2-3 SEC), falling 87-75 at Memorial Gym.
Let’s clean the glass from Vanderbilt’s most recent loss:
THE SKINNY: Tennessee and Vanderbilt spent much of the first half trading buckets before the Vols staged an 11-0 run to take a 29-20 lead with 6:25 left until half. At the break, UT held a 39-34 despite the Commodores hitting 56 percent from the floor. But Tennessee kept hitting its own shots in the second half, knocking down 5-of-8 of its 3-pointers and snuffing out each remaining Vanderbilt run.
TURNING POINT: Tennessee led 53-49 when Matthew Fisher-Davis was called for a charge with 14:41 left in the second half. Fisher-Davis followed up by earning a technical foul, which the Vols turned into two free throws and the ensuing possession. UT then drilled two more buckets for a quick 6-0 run and a 59-49 lead, forcing a timeout from Drew.
IMPACT PLAYER: Tennessee guard Jordan Bone. The freshman scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, helping the Vols get going against Vanderbilt’s defense. Bone finished 4-of-5 from 3-point land and also led all players with five assists.
STARTLING STAT: 58.6 – Tennessee’s field-goal percentage. By any objective measure, the Commodores played a solid offensive game on Saturday. They shot 53 percent from the floor and committed just nine turnovers. Unfortunately, Vanderbilt’s zone wasn’t able to slow down Tennessee’s offense. The Vols shot 58.6 percent from the floor – 64 percent (16-of-25) in the second half – and they scored 15 points off turnovers. Plus, an undersized UT squad found ways to hit high-percentage shots with 40 points in the paint.
WHAT IT MEANS: Vanderbilt drops its third straight SEC game after a 2-0 start in conference play. The Commodores are now 8-9 overall and 2-3 in the SEC with their next two games on the road against Georgia and Florida.
QUOTABLE: “They shot almost 60 percent [from the floor]. It’s really hard to win a game when you give up 60 percent [shooting]… We did a lot of positive things, but it’s hard to win games when you don’t get stops on the defensive end.” -Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew
WHAT’S NEXT: Vanderbilt travels to Georgia on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The game tips off at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
