NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Duke Miles scored a season-best 30 points, with 17 coming in 17 second-half minutes, to help fourth-seeded No. 22 Vanderbilt men’s basketball to a 75-68 SEC Tournament win over No. 5 seed 25th-ranked Tennessee Friday at Bridgestone Arena.
Tyler Tanner was the only other individual to score in double figures for the Commodores (25-7), who now advance to take on No. 4 Florida—the tournament’s top seed—in the semifinals Saturday at noon. Miles and Tanner finished with six rebounds apiece, also combining to contribute nine assists against just two turnovers.
Tyler Nickel scored eight points for Vandy, and Jalen Washington added seven points and a team-leading seven rebounds.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie paced the Volunteers (22-11) with 21 points, and Nate Ament ended up with a double-double after posting 12 points and 11 boards although the latter finished just 1-of-13 from the field. J.P. Estrella recorded 12 points and six rebounds, with Jaylen Carey adding 10 and five, respectively, off the bench for Tennessee.
Neither team led by more than four points through the first 25 minutes of the contest, which included 10 lead changes and four ties resulting in a 31-31 score at the break. Gillespie connected on a pair of 3-pointers in a 25-second stretch to give the Vols a 45-38 advantage with less than 15 minutes remaining in regulation, although the Commodores had an immediate response when Miles needed 24 seconds to sink a 3-point shot and a driving layup to once again make it a one-possession game. Less than a minute later Miles connected on two free throws to spark a 10-0 run over the next minute and 48 seconds to saw Vandy go in front 53-48.
The Commodore lead would grow to as many as eight, 63-55, with seven and a half minutes left, but Tennessee would not allow a field goal over a two-and-a-half-minute span to close the gap to one. Over the final five minutes, however, Vandy converted all eight free-throw attempts to go with baskets from Miles and Washington.
After starting 3-of-16 from beyond the arc, the Dores shot 36 percent from 3-point range in the second half while making seven treys in the contest. Vandy also went 22-of-26 at the foul line and turned the ball over just six times to overcome a 46-34 Tennessee rebounding advantage. The Volunteers turned 23 offensive boards into 24 second-chance points.
