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Commodores Roll To Victory In SEC Opener 1/6/2005
Commodores Roll To Victory In SEC Opener Box Score | Photo Gallery NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt men’s basketball team defeated Alabama, 70-56, to win its Southeastern Conference opener Wednesday night in Memorial Gymnasium by connecting on 12 three-pointers while also outscoring the Crimson Tide in the paint. Vanderbilt shot 48 percent from behind the arc, connecting from three-point land nine times in the first half alone. The Commodores’ range forced Alabama’s defense to play more aggressively, opening up the lane for numerous back-door cuts in the second half. “We hope the defenses have to make choices,” VU Head Coach Kevin Stallings said. “We hope to force them into those choices. Those being whether to crowd the middle and stop the back-door cuts or guard us close and stop our outside shooting.” Junior Mario Moore and freshman Shan Foster each hit 4-of-5 shots from long range. Moore scored 16 points, matched for the team lead by senior Jason Holwerda, who was 8-of-12 from the field. The Commodores dominated the boards throughout the game, outrebounding Alabama 41-25. Vanderbilt turned 17 offensive rebounds into 27 second-chance points. Holwerda and junior Julian Terrell each came away with four offensive rebounds. Vanderbilt’s largest lead of the game was 26 points after sophomore Dan Cage found senior Corey Smith on a back-door cut at 13:23 of the first half. With a full-court press, the Tide would crawl back to within single digits, 64-56, on a three-point play by Jermareo Davidson at 5:02. Davidson led Alabama with a season-high 21 points. The Crimson Tide would not score again. Vanderbilt would score four of their 13 fast-break points in the closing minutes to seal the victory. The Commodore defense shut down Bama’s leading scorer, Earnest Shelton, nine points under his average. Shelton and Kennedy Winston combined to shoot 9-of-27 from the floor. On Vanderbilt’s first possession, Dawid Przybyszewski hit a three-pointer from the top of the key off a Julian Terrell feed, ensuring that the Commodores’ streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer (now at 580) would continue. After nine first-half three-pointers, Vanderbilt took a 41-29 lead into the break. Moore provided a spark for the Commodores late in the first half, connecting from behind the arc on three consecutive possessions — twice off Holwerda assists and once off his own steal — to stretch the VU lead to 41-27. Vanderbilt outrebounded Alabama in the first half, 19-15, including nine offensive boards that led to 16 VU points. The Dores also turned eight UA turnovers into 14 points and outscored Bama in fast break situations, 7-0. |
