Feb. 28, 2009
Vanderbilt 96 – South Carolina 83
February 28, 2009 – Memorial Gym
With the 96-83 win, the Commodores move to 17-11 overall and 6-8 in the SEC Eastern Division. Vanderbilt also ends a two-game losing streak in conference play. The Commodores also improve to 12-4 in Memorial Gym and 45-7 at home in the last three years.
The win evens the VU-South Carolina series at 22-22. The Commodores are now 12-9 against the Gamecocks in Memorial Gym, and 10-12 against USC in the Kevin Stallings Era.
It marks the 190th Commodore coaching victory for Stallings. He needs seven wins to match Bob Polk for second place on the Vanderbilt all-time list behind Roy Skinner, who coached the Commodores to 278 victories.
The game featured career-high scoring performances by sophomore center A.J. Ogilvy and junior guard Jermaine Beal. Ogilvy finished with 28 points, one more than his previous high of 27 notched against Auburn in the 2008 SEC Tournament. Beal ended the game with 26 points. Beal’s previous high point of 21 came at Auburn earlier this year.
Vanderbilt Starters
The Commodores started three true freshmen: guard Brad Tinsley, wing Jeffery Taylor and forward Steve Tchiengang. Other starters were Beal and Ogilvy. Beal and Taylor had started all 28 games this season. This starting unit is 6-5 on the season entering the game.
First Half Notes
– After a quick USC basket to open the game, the Commodores responded with nine straight points in less than 90 seconds to take a 9-2 lead with 18:15 left.
– The Commodore lead reached 11 points (19-8) with 13:31 left, on a pair of Ogilvy baskets, the first of which was a drive down the middle of the lane that resulted in a dunk.
– At the 12:23 mark, Ogilvy’s 3-pointer gave the Commodores a 22-11 lead. The sophomore has scored Vanderbilt’s last nine points.
– By the second media timeout, Vanderbilt was hitting 81.8% from the field (9 of 11).
– A layup by Tinsley with 11:34 left pushed the Vanderbilt margin to 13 points (24-11). Seconds later, the Commodores were up by 15 points (28-13) after Beal and Tinsley each converted two free throws. Taylor helped push the lead to 18 points at 31-13 with a layup and made free throw.
– Consecutive 3-pointers by Beal, the last coming with 7:32 left, gave the Commodores a 37-17 margin.
– Beal ended a four-minute stretch with points for the Commodores with a 3-pointer at the 3:32 mark. Beal is 3 of 4 from 3-point range, with the Commodores 5 of 8 as a team from long range. With 1:16 left, Beal hit his fourth 3-pointer to open a 45-27 lead. Only once before has Beal made more than four 3-pointers in a game (at Auburn, Jan. 31, 2009).
– The Commodores enter halftime with a 47-27 lead:
– The 20-point margin is a season-high for Kevin Stallings’ Commodores. It is Vanderbilt’s largest halftime margin since it owned a 30-point cushion (41-11) over Kentucky on Feb. 12, 2008.
– The Commodores’ 47-point total the most this year against a SEC opponent.
– The 47 points is the team’s second highest halftime total (behind only a 48-point total against Central Arkansas on Nov. 26)
– Three Commodores reached double digits in scoring by halftime, topped by Beal’s 16 points. Ogilvy and Taylor had 11 each.
– Vanderbilt hit 62.5% of their field goals (15 of 24) and 66.7% of their 3-point tries (6 of 9).
Second Half Notes
– The Commodores open the second half with another three-point play by Beal, as the point guard converts a free throw after being fouled on a made layup. The resulting 23-point lead (50-27) is a game high.
– Midway through the second half, seven straight points by Ogilvy allowed Vanderbilt to keep its 23-point lead (64-41). A layup by Beal with 13:22 remaining gave the Commodores their biggest lead at 66-41.
– Freshman Lance Goulbourne provided a Commodore highlight with 9:12, stuffing a missed layup by Beal. The basket came after a pair of impressive blocks by Ogilvy.
Post Game Notes
– The Commodore 96-point total marks a season high, and is the most scored by a Vanderbilt since a 97-88 victory over Massachusetts in Memorial Gym on Jan. 5, 2008.
– The Commodores 13-point winning margin matches a season high against SEC opponent. Vanderbilt also beat Kentucky by a similar margin on Feb. 17 in Memorial Gym.
– The Commodores set a season high in field goal percentage, hitting 62% from the field (31 of 50). The Commodores also hit 50% from 3-point range (8 of 16).
– Vanderbilt also owned a 40-32 advantage in rebounds
– Beal made five 3-pointers, two shy of his career high set at Auburn on Jan. 31, 2009.
– Ogilvy added five rebounds and four blocked shots in the stellar effort.
– It marked the first time Vanderbilt had two players with at least 20 points in a game since Ogilvy and Beal had 20 points each against Alabama on Feb. 5, 2009.