Feb. 24, 2018
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt turned a double-digit deficit into an interesting game down the stretch, but it couldn’t close its comeback in an 89-81 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium.
Here’s how it went down:
THE SKINNY: Texas A&M came out firing in the first half. The Aggies hit 55 percent of their shots (17-of-31) in the first 20 minutes. D.J. Hogg’s 3-pointer with 3:46 until the break gave A&M its largest lead of the half, 41-23. Vanderbilt ended up trailing 43-31 at intermission. A&M’s lead grew to 24 points in the second half before the Commodores found their rhythm, cutting the deficit to four on two occasions inside two minutes. But the Aggies made their free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
TURNING POINT: Riley LaChance drilled a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left to slice Texas A&M’s advantage to just 85-81. But Admon Gilder and D.J. Hogg hit four free throws on the Aggies’ next two possessions to maintain their lead until the final buzzer.
IMPACT PLAYER: Tyler Davis. Texas A&M’s big man was a force inside against Vanderbilt. He led the Aggies with 22 points and nine rebounds in helping his team control the glass and earn second-chance opportunities on Saturday.
STARTLING STAT: 38 – Texas A&M’s points in the paint. The Aggies made the Commodores pay in the post, outscoring the home team 38-26 in the paint. Vanderbilt had little answer for Davis, all while Texas A&M’s guards took advantage with easy shots in transition.
WHAT IT MEANS: With two regular-season games remaining, the Commodores snapped a five-game winning streak at home as the SEC tournament approaches in two weeks. Vanderbilt dropped to 11-18 overall and 5-11 in SEC play.
WHAT’S NEXT: Vanderbilt hosts Missouri for Senior Night on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on either ESPN or ESPN2.
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics.