Vanderbilt Upsets Miss. State, 74-70 in OT

Vanderbilt Upsets Miss. State, 74-70 in OT

3/13/2004

Vanderbilt Upsets Miss. State, 74-70 in OT
Dores await Alabama-Flroida winner on Saturday

ATLANTA (AP) — Vanderbilt stunned fourth-ranked Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament Friday night, pulling off a 74-70 upset in overtime.

SEC player of the year Lawrence Roberts, hobbled by a sprained right ankle, had a chance to win it in regulation for the Bulldogs (25-3) but his 3-pointer at the buzzer clanged off the back of the rim.

Vanderbilt (21-9) rallied from 11-point deficit early in the second half and clinched the victory at the free-throw line — a spot that gave the Commodores trouble most of the night. Julian Terrell put them ahead to stay with a couple of foul shots, and Corey Smith sealed it by hitting two more with 20.2 seconds remaining.

Mississippi State was playing its fourth overtime game of the season — and second in a row. The Bulldogs survived an 82-81 scare from Alabama last weekend, after also beating Santa Clara and South Carolina in OT.

But the fourth time was not the charm for the SEC’s regular-season champions. Before the game, the team received its trophy from commissioner Mike Slive, holding it aloft at midcourt for a cheering crowd. Before the night was done, the Bulldogs had squandered the chance to win another award this weekend.

Mario Moore scored 17 points and Terrell added 16 to lead five Vanderbilt players in double figures.

The Bulldogs didn’t get much from their two big guns. Roberts and Timmy Bowers both shot 4-of-12 from the field after being selected to the All-SEC team for their regular-season excellence.

Vanderbilt, assuring itself of a spot in the NCAA tournament, advanced to meet either Florida or Alabama in Saturday’s semifinals.

Kentucky — suddenly the heavy favorite to win another SEC tournament — will meet South Carolina in the other semifinal.

Mississippi State took a major blow with 14 minutes remaining. Roberts broke into the clear on a fast break, but Bowers’ pass was a little too high. Roberts reached for the ball, then stumbled out of bounds, rolling his right ankle as he attempted to avoid a cameraman.

The crowd fell silent as Roberts remained down for nearly a minute, clutching his ankle. He finally hobbled to the bench, where trainers taped him up.

Roberts sat out only 3{ minutes, returning to the game in obvious pain and hardly the player he was before. He winced several times and flexed his ankle every chance he got.

Still, the Bulldogs had a chance to escape. Roberts hit a pair of free throws with 48 seconds left for a 65-64 lead. Matt Freije tied it up for Vanderbilt by making 1-of-2 at the line with 33.8 seconds left — giving Mississippi State the last shot.

It wasn’t the one they were looking for. Roberts wound up with the ball near the top of the key and had to fire up a 3-pointer — only his 35th attempt of the season from outside the arc. He missed all three of his long-range shots against Vanderbilt.

Roberts played 36 minutes but was held to 13 points and eight rebounds. Bower had 14 points and turned the ball over eight times — including an errant pass in the final minute with the Bulldogs on a fast break.

Mississippi State had another chance to tie, but Bowers’ pass from beyond the foul line ricocheted off the hands of Brandon Vincent under the basket. The Bulldogs finished with 19 turnovers.

For a while, it looked as though Vanderbilt would waste its chance of an upset with poor foul shooting. The Commodores were only 14-of-25 overall, but went 7-of-8 in overtime.