March 9, 2017
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In Vanderbilt’s SEC Tournament matchup with Texas A&M on Thursday, the Commodores made a statement in the second half: they weren’t ready to go home.
The 7-seed ‘Dores dominated the final 20 minutes to cement a 66-41 win over the 10-seed Aggies in the second round of the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena.
Let’s clean the glass from Vanderbilt’s victory:
THE SKINNY: Vanderbilt and Texas A&M slugged through an unusually low-scoring first half. The teams shot a combined 15-of-51 from the field (29.4%), including 7-20 (24%) for the Commodores. But Vanderbilt forced 10 Aggie turnovers to carry a 23-20 lead into break. But the ‘Dores adjusted at half to take full control in the final 20 minutes; they outscored Texas A&M 43-21 after the break to advance in the tournament bracket.
TURNING POINT: Vanderbilt held a slim 31-26 lead in the second half when it used a quick spurt to extend its lead. A Joe Toye bucket capped an 8-0 run that pushed Vanderbilt ahead, 39-26, with 15:07 to play. After struggling in the first half, the Commodores hit six of their first eight shots to start the second half. Texas A&M never truly threatened after that.
IMPACT PLAYER: Joe Toye. The sophomore wing went into halftime with just one point on 0-2 shooting. But his presence in the second half sparked Vanderbilt’s successful rally. Toye scored 17 points after the break and also hit a career-high five 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes. Toye’s impact helped the ‘Dores lead by as many as 25 in the waning moments.
STARTLING STAT: 55.2 – Vanderbilt’s shooting percentage in the second half. The Commodores rebounded from a dismal first half to hit 16 of their final 29 shots after intermission. That run included 8-14 from 3-point range. In the end, the ‘Dores outscored the Aggies by 22 points in the second half.
WHAT IT MEANS: Vanderbilt adds to its case as an NCAA tournament team. Heading into Thursday, Vanderbilt boasted five top-50 wins and 11 top-100 victories, the overall toughest strength of schedule in the nation and stood as the only SEC team to sweep Florida.
QUOTABLE: “Basketball is a game of motion. It’s a game of momentum. It can change really, really quickly one way or the other. The last couple of weeks, we’ve played really good basketball. I’ve said this before, but as a coach, you just don’t want to mess it up.” -Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew
WHAT’S NEXT: Vanderbilt will face No. 2-seed Florida in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
