Jan. 27, 2011
Recap | Box Score | Quotes | AP Photos 
Vanderbilt 81, Mississippi State 74
January 27, 2011 – Humphrey Coliseum – Starkville, Miss.
Attendance: 8,870
Starting Lineups
– Vanderbilt started junior Brad Tinsley and sophomore guard John Jenkins at the two guard positions, juniors Jeffery Taylor and Lance Goulbourne at forward, and junior Festus Ezeli at center.
– Taylor has now started in every game of his career (82). Tinsley made his 74th start, Ezeli his 30th, Jenkins his 24th, and Goulbourne his 9th.
Postgame Notes
– With the win, Vanderbilt moves to 73-44 in the overall series against Mississippi State, and narrowed the Bulldogs’ lead in the series in Starkville to 31-22.
– Vanderbilt won in Starkville for the first time since 1993.
– Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings got the first win of his career in Starkville. His overall record at the Humphrey Coliseum is now 1-5, and against the Bulldogs overall, he is now 7-8. He has now won at every school in the SEC.
– The win was Vanderbilt’s first SEC road victory of the season, and its second of 2010-11. The Commodores are now 2-3 on the road (win vs. MTSU, losses at Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee).
– Three Commodore players scored in double-figures against Mississippi State, with Jeffery Taylor leading the way with 25 points. It was Taylor’s third 20-point effort of the season and the seventh of his career. Taylor also added five rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block.
– Vanderbilt committed only nine turnovers against Mississippi State, which tied a season-low. The Commodores also committed nine against Davidson and Southeastern Louisiana.
– Both teams made 26 field goals, eight three-point field goals, and each pulled down 38 rebounds.
– Vanderbilt was 17-31 from the charity stripe on the night, with Mississippi State going 14-17. On the road in four games thus far, Vanderbilt has made more free throws than their opponents have attempted. In the five games, VU is 91-135 (.674), while opponents are 55-78 (.70.5).
– The Commodores held Mississippi State to only 29.7% from three; it is the fifth straight game Vanderbilt has held their opponent to 30% or less from beyond-the-arc.
– Mississippi State outshot Vanderbilt, 44.8% to 41.9% from the floor – the Commodores move to 2-2 on the season when an opponent shoots a better percentage from the floor.
– The Commodores won the opening tip against Mississippi State, and moves to 14-1 on the season when doing so.
– John Jenkins made a three-point basket at the 19:19 mark of the first half, which extended Vanderbilt’s consecutive games streak with a three-pointer to 781 games.
– The game with Mississippi State marked the first time this year that the two teams made the same number of the three-point baskets. The Commodores are now 1-1 when both teams have the same number of rebounds.
– Ties: 12; Lead changes: 16
– VU largest lead: 7 (2nd half, 0:06).
– Vanderbilt outscored the Bulldogs, 30-24 in the paint and 15-9 in points off of turnovers. Mississippi State outscored VU, 16-13 in second chance points and 15-4 in bench points. There were no fast-break points scored in the contest.
Individual Notes
– Jeffery Taylor’s 25 points was his second-best total of the season. He tallied a career-high 27 points in the season opener against Presbyterian.
– Taylor tied a career-high with three three-pointers made (Presbyterian).
– John Jenkins added 21 points, his 10th 20+-point of the season and the 12th of his career.
– Jenkins was 5-for-11 from the floor, and a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe.
– Festus Ezeli scored in double-figures for the 13th time this season and 16th time of his career with 14 points. Ezeli was 5-for-5 from the floor.
– Lance Goulbourne missed his third consecutive double-double by one point with nine points and 12 rebounds. His double-digit rebounding game against the Bulldogs was his third consecutive and fifth in his last six games. He is averaging 11.3 rebounds over the six-game span.
– Brad Tinsley, the SEC’s leader in assists, dished out five assists, his 10th five-assist game of the season and the 20th of his career.
