Men’s Hoops Stroll Past UNC-Greensboro

Men’s Hoops Stroll Past UNC-Greensboro

11/22/2005

By Andrew Joyner
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, TN. — Vanderbilt, spurred by a game-breaking 32-4 run midway through the first half, opened a 42-14 halftime advantage en route to 85-53 victory over UNC Greensboro on Tuesday night at Memorial Gym.

Julian Terrell had 17 points for the Commodores (3-0) to lead four players into double figures. Shan Foster finished with 16 for Vanderbilt while Derrick Byars, a transfer from Virginia, and DeMarre Carroll each added 15.

Kyle Hines paced UNC Greensboro (2-2) with a game-high 20 points with Ricky Hickman contributing 14.

Vanderbilt senior guard Mario Moore, suspended from the team’s last exhibition game and the first two regular season games against Jacksonville State and Furman for an undisclosed violation of team rules, entered the contest midway through the first half and finished with four points and two assists in 19 minutes of action.

UNC Greensboro (2-2) briefly held a 3-2 lead in the opening minute but then the Commodores went on a 16-0 spurt over the next seven minutes. The last basket in that stretch came on a steal and layup by Moore with exactly 11 minutes remaining before halftime.

Moore, a preseason second team All-SEC selection, entered the game with 13:42 left to applause from the 8,277 in the attendance. The mere presence of Moore only seemed to push the Commodores as they further extended the lead.

When Moore fed Foster for a jumper with 3:40 left before the half, Vanderbilt had opened a 34-7 advantage and had fairly thoroughly removed the drama from the contest.

Ultimately, Vanderbilt entered intermission with the 42-14 halftime advantage after holding the Spartans to just 21.7 percent shooting from the floor. The 14 points was the fewest allowed in a half by Vanderbilt since it yielded 13 to Alabama A&M in a 68-40 victory on Nov. 24, 2002.

UNC Greensboro would get no closer than 24 in the second half as the Commodores pushed their lead to as many as 38 on a dunk by Terrell with 10:25 remaining that made it 69-31.

Vanderbilt, which has now opened 3-0 for the sixth time in head coach Kevin Stallings’ seven years at the school, will likely encounter tougher tests over the next three games as it travels to Georgetown and then hosts Oregon and Cincinnati.