National Basketball Association
Vanderbilt 67, Tennessee 56
When: 6:30 PM ET, Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Officials:
# Doug Shows, # Patrick Adams, # John Hampton
Attendance:
12713
By The Sports Xchange
Junior guard Jeff Roberson scored 15 points, and Vanderbilt never trailed in a commanding 67-56 win over Tennessee on Wednesday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.
Junior Matthew Fisher-Davis added 13 points, and senior guard Nolan Cressler hit three of the Commodores' eight 3-pointers. Vanderbilt has won three in a row and four of five overall and can put itself into the bubble discussion with a strong finish.
Vanderbilt (15-13, 8-7 SEC) jumped on Tennessee early. Luke Kornet hit a 3-pointer that put the Commodores ahead 18-4 at the 11-minute mark of the first half. Tennessee shot just 23.1 percent from the field and missed all seven of its 3-point attempts in the first half.
Vanderbilt led 28-18 at halftime.
Tennessee opened the second half with a run and got within four after a 3-pointer from Grant Williams.
The Volunteers wouldn't go away and were down one, 44-43, after Williams knocked down a pair of free throws with six minutes left in the game.
Tennessee got back into the game by attacking the glass in the second half. The Volunteers had 16 offensive rebounds in the second half. But Vanderbilt answered every run, mostly from beyond the arc. Cressler and Joe Toye hit 3-pointers in the final minutes to help the Commodores close out the Volunteers.
Senior guard Robert Hubbs III led Tennessee (16-12, 7-8 SEC), which has lost three of four.
Cressler finished with 11 points, and senior forward Kornet added 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Vanderbilt hosts Mississippi State on Saturday, before closing out the regular season with back-to-back games at No. 11 Kentucky and No. 13 Florida.
Tennessee will try to rebound at South Carolina on Saturday.
Top Game Performances
Vanderbilt |
|
Tennessee |
Jeff Roberson 15 |
Scoring |
Robert Hubbs III 16 |
Riley LaChance 7 |
Assists |
Jordan Bone 2 |
Luke Kornet 11 |
Rebounds |
Grant Williams 10 |
Riley LaChance 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Robert Hubbs III 6 |
Riley LaChance 2 |
Steals |
Shembari Phillips 1 |
Luke Kornet 7 |
Blocks |
Kyle Alexander 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Vanderbilt
|
67 |
36.8 |
8-26 |
17-21 |
14 |
38 |
8 |
5 |
5 |
Tennessee
|
56 |
29.0 |
3-17 |
17-26 |
12 |
40 |
3 |
1 |
10 |