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Vanderbilt Falls to No 23 South Carolina at the Buzzer 57-55 1/28/2004
Vanderbilt Falls to No 23 South Carolina at the Buzzer 57-55 Despite senior forward Matt Freije’s game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds, Vanderbilt lost a thriller to #23/24 South Carolina 57-55 Wednesday night at Memorial Gym. The Commodores fell to 13-4 (2-4), while the Gamecocks, in first place in the SEC Eastern Division, improved to 18-2 (5-1). After 19 lead changes and ten ties, South Carolina led 53-50 with just over two minutes. Freije buried a three- pointer to tie the game at 2:07, causing the already-rowdy crowd to erupt. Three possessions later, Lakey saved a defensive rebound as he went out of bounds, but the Gamecocks retrieved the ball with a steal on the other end by junior guard Josh Gonner. He then put South Carolina up 55-53 with a lay-up. With the Commodores trailing by two with under 25 seconds to play, Frieje rebounded a missed three-point attempt by Moore, and followed it up with an emphatic dunk to tie the game once again with nine seconds left. South Carolina’s senior forward Kerbrell Brown then tipped in a missed layup as time expired to give the Gamecocks a hard-fought 57-55 victory. Freije finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds to lead all scorers. Hundley contributed 12 points and six rebounds, four in the second half. The game featured an eventful first half characterized by physical play and hustle from both teams. The Commodores looked inside early in the game, getting forwards Julian Terrell, Scott Hundley and Jason Holwerda several touches each. Vanderbilt recorded five steals in the period, including a pick-off by junior defensive specialist Holwerda, which he finished with a dunk. The contest was perhaps the most physical this season. After being called for a charge on an offensive possession, junior swingman Corey Smith exchanged punches with South Carolina freshman forward Renaldo Balkman. Both players were ejected from the game with just under six minutes to play in the first half. Vanderbilt led 32-28 at the half. Both teams traded turnovers to begin the second half, until Hundley finished off a Freije miss with a lay-in for Vanderbilt’s first points of the half. The second stanza featured just as much hustle on both ends of the floor as in the first half. Sophomore guard Mario Moore finished with seven points and three assists. He also recorded two steals, including a picked off pass near half-court which he finished with a lay-up. Moore’s backcourt counterpart, senior guard Russell Lakey, also played with intensity. He totaled four rebounds, five assists and one block. He also recorded two steals and got his hand on the ball on several other occasions, as he became a defensive weapon alongside Holwerda in the last three minutes of the game. The Commodores return to SEC action against No. 7 Kentucky on Saturday, January 31st, at 11:00 a.m. The game will be televised on ESPN. |
