Feb. 16, 2011
Recap | Box Score | Notes | AP Photos 
Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings
On the game…
“It was a weird game. The first twenty minutes neither team could make a shot, and then for the next ten minutes they made shots and then for the last ten minutes we made them. When we started making them I thought it energized our defense and we started getting more stops and we rebounded the ball great which was the difference for us tonight. We haven’t been a great rebounding team, but tonight we rebounded it great on both ends and that was the difference for us.”
On Jenkins and Taylor…
“Our three leading scorers were one for twenty-three at half time, Festus was one for eight. I told the guys we are only down by six and our three leading scorers were one for twenty-three. We thought at half time we weren’t in bad shape. Then we started the second half and they punched us pretty good and started making shots and really became the aggressor, and then fortunately we were able to come back in the last ten minutes and punch back a little bit.”
Vanderbilt redshirt junior center Festus Ezeli
On importance of winning road game…
“A big focus this week was to finish road games. That was a big part of practice. That’s what we came to do and we did it.”
On stepping up in the 2nd half…
“We are a better defending team than we showed. Some or their baskets were those easy baskets. In the 2nd half, we stepped up – we have worked too hard to watch people shoot the lights out on us.”
On John Jenkins…
“Jenkins is a great player and works hard on every play. I never get mad at him if he doesn’t make shots. At one point I was like ‘Alright John, it’s time to go score,” and then he had 21 in the 2nd half. Crazy.”
Vanderbilt sophomore guard John Jenkins
On his first made basket, that occurred in the 2nd half…
“I just got an open look, which were hard to come by, and knocked it down. ”
On getting going in the 2nd half…
“Their defense was so good, it was hard to do anything. I got one good look, and that gave me some confidence for the rest of the game.”
On Georgia’s defense…
“They switch, trap, hedge…they did everything that everyone else has been doing, but better.”
Georgia head coach Mark Fox
General thoughts on the game…
“That’s a tough loss. Vanderbilt shot great from the three-point line in the second half and beat us badly on the glass. Our kids played hard but Vanderbilt shot the ball well in the second half and you have to give them credit for that.”
On Georgia’s offensive struggles down the stretch…
“Their zone was fairly effective. I think we were fairly patient to begin the second half. They started to play man and Trey [Thompkins] had a hard time getting good looks. I thought one of the most critical parts of the game though was when Jeremy Price picked up his third foul because he is such a dominant offensive player for us. We really just didn’t make enough plays to get it done.”
On being concerned about losing a comfortable lead…
“Vanderbilt simply made some critical plays. They got a few loose balls that led to three pointers and those are back-breakers right there. Sure, I’m concerned. As a coach, you’re concerned about every part of the game.”
Georgia junior guard Dustin Ware
On Vanderbilt’s play…
“They came in and played real well in the second half. They started throwing in a lot of threes and played really good ‘D’. We couldn’t get some shots to go down but sometimes that’s how it is. They just made more plays.”
On Vanderbilt sophomore guard John Jenkins…
“We knew at some point he was going to come in and get hot. He’s a great shooter. You’re never going to shut him down completely. We got beat on the boards and they started throwing in a lot of shots. They just made more plays down the stretch.”
Georgia junior forward Travis Leslie
On Vanderbilt’s defense…
“It was tough. They were crowding the lane. [Vanderbilt center] Ezeli is a great defender and a great shot blocker so every time we were going to the lane, he was getting good blocks. The way we were going, I thought we were being aggressive but the shots just wouldn’t fall.”
On how to prevent losing a second-half lead…
“We’ve just got to keep playing all 40 minutes. If we do that throughout the whole game, we could have won the game. I thought we got a little complacent in the second half and let them get back into it.”