Jan. 28, 2017
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
On campus in Nashville – Vanderbilt (10-11, 3-5 SEC) bounced back from a disappointing loss to Arkansas with a convincing nonconference win over a Big 12 foe. Thanks to a strong second half, the Commodores held on to beat Iowa State (13-7, 5-3 Big 12), 84-78, on Saturday at Memorial Gym.
Let’s clean the glass from Vanderbilt’s big win:
THE SKINNY: Iowa State wasted no time imposing its will on Vanderbilt early, when it built a 26-15 lead with 7:48 until half. But the Commodores clawed their way back thanks to defense and a perfect half (9-9) from the free-throw line. Nolan Cressler’s 3-pointer with 21 ticks left knotted the game, 33-33, at intermission. The ‘Dores then opened the second half on a 9-2 run and led by as many as 15. The Cyclones did manage to cut that lead to single digits late, but Vanderbilt hit free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
TURNING POINT: Vanderbilt led Iowa State 49-42 early in the second half before Matthew Fisher-Davis found a rhythm from downtown. The junior drilled consecutive 3-pointers to push the ‘Dores ahead, 55-42, which was their largest lead of the game to that point. Fisher Davis’s second trey forced an Iowa State timeout and sparked a lively Memorial Gym crowd.
IMPACT PLAYER: Nolan Cressler. Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm admitted after the game that his gameplan on defense was to stop Fisher-Davis and Luke Kornet. In the interim, Cressler notched his best game as a Commodore. The second-year transfer from Cornell scored 20 points and knocked down all four of his 3-pointers. Cressler also chipped in five boards and four assists. He came up with a huge play in the second half out of an Iowa State timeout, when he broke free on an inbounds pass for a wide-open dunk. That slam gave Vanderbilt a 71-59 lead with 4:32 left.
STARTLING STAT: 13 – number of made 3-pointers for Vanderbilt. The Commodores entered Saturday leading the SEC in 3-point percentage (38.8) and threes made per game (9.8), but they managed to surpass both averages against Iowa State. Vanderbilt knocked down 13 of its 30 attempts from deep (43 percent), and five players hit at least one 3-pointer for the ‘Dores.
WHAT IT MEANS: Following a four-game losing streak, Vanderbilt has now won two of its last three games. Those two wins are arguably the Commodores’ best two victories of the season; they beat Florida, 68-66, in Gainesville on Jan. 21. Vanderbilt now finishes the season 7-6 against nonconference teams.
QUOTABLE: “It’s definitely big, especially against an NCAA tournament team in Iowa State. To have the same situation [happen] the same week is kind of ironic. But it will definitely give them confidence moving forward that we can execute and close out games.” -Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew, on his team giving up late-game leads twice in the same week
WHAT’S NEXT: Vanderbilt returns to the road to take on Texas A&M in College Station on Tuesday, Jan. 31. The game tips at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.