Graphic: Scott MacCord/UAA Communicatons.
At the Buzzer: Vanderbilt 68, No. 19 Florida 66
Saturday, January 21, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
The Commodores seized control late and made the plays down the stretch to steal a win at Exactech.
AT THE BUZZER
VANDERBILT 68, No. 19 FLORIDA 66
WHAT HAPPENED: Down by a point with 2:20 to go, Vanderbilt scored on three of its final four possessions, including two free throws and a driving baseline layup by backup guard Nolan Cressler with 38 seconds left, to give the Southeastern Conference rival Commodores a four-point lead and, eventually, a stunning defeat of the 19th-ranked Gators before a soldout Exactech Arena. UF didn't help itself at the free-throw line late. With a chance to tie or take the lead, junior center John Egbunu missed the front of a one-and-one with 2:07 left and, after Cressler's two free throws, senior point guard Kasey Hill made just one of two, allowing the Commodores to stretch the lead to four. Vandy led by just two when UF sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen (29 points) had one last chance in the final seconds, but his 3-pointer from the corner and just before the horn bounced off the rim. Vandy, which shot 46 percent for the game and 56.5 in the second half, put four players in double figures (compared to UF's two) and was led by guard Matthew Fisher-Davis' 19 points. Point guard Riley LaChance, the SEC's top 3-point shooter, had 11 points, went 3-for-4 from deep and dished five assists.
WHAT IT MEANS: The first defeat at the new O'Dome, a two-game losing streak in the conference and a lot of soul searching in the coming days at the UF practice facility. This will go down as the first so-called "bad" loss on the NCAA resume. Vandy came in ranked 77th in the Ratings Percentage Index and 0-6 against RPI Top 50s. UF was No. 6, so it'll be a great win for the Commodores. Look for the Gators to take a big drop in the RPI now.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: No question it was Allen, who entered the game in a three-game malaise during which he went a combined 5-for-18 from the floor, 0-for-8 from the 3-point line and scored just 16 points. Against the Commodores, Allen's 29 points were three off the career-high 32 he poured in against Florida State as a freshman last season. He hit 10 of his 19 shots, went 5-for-13 from deep -- missing the last one, unfortunately, for the Gators -- and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Getting Allen's confidence back was a positive (the only one) to take from a game that was a major, major downer.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Three nights ago, officials in the UF-South Carolina game called 55 fouls that led to 62 free throws. The Gators shot 28 of 'em. In this one: 30 total fouls and just 21 free throws. The Commodores went 12 of 13 from the line. The Gators just 6-for-8.
UP NEXT: Florida (14-5, 5-2) takes off this week on a two-game road swing that will put the Gators on Wednesday night in Baton Rouge, La., to face LSU (9-8, 1-5). The Tigers play Arkansas in a Saturday night game. From there, UF will venture further west for a date with Oklahoma and rendevouz with former Coach Lon Kruger as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. These Sooners (8-9, 2-4) are a far cry from the bunch who reached the Final Four last season, but they shocked No. 7 West Virginia on the road Wednesday, which got some folks' attention in Gainesville.
VANDERBILT 68, No. 19 FLORIDA 66
WHAT HAPPENED: Down by a point with 2:20 to go, Vanderbilt scored on three of its final four possessions, including two free throws and a driving baseline layup by backup guard Nolan Cressler with 38 seconds left, to give the Southeastern Conference rival Commodores a four-point lead and, eventually, a stunning defeat of the 19th-ranked Gators before a soldout Exactech Arena. UF didn't help itself at the free-throw line late. With a chance to tie or take the lead, junior center John Egbunu missed the front of a one-and-one with 2:07 left and, after Cressler's two free throws, senior point guard Kasey Hill made just one of two, allowing the Commodores to stretch the lead to four. Vandy led by just two when UF sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen (29 points) had one last chance in the final seconds, but his 3-pointer from the corner and just before the horn bounced off the rim. Vandy, which shot 46 percent for the game and 56.5 in the second half, put four players in double figures (compared to UF's two) and was led by guard Matthew Fisher-Davis' 19 points. Point guard Riley LaChance, the SEC's top 3-point shooter, had 11 points, went 3-for-4 from deep and dished five assists.
WHAT IT MEANS: The first defeat at the new O'Dome, a two-game losing streak in the conference and a lot of soul searching in the coming days at the UF practice facility. This will go down as the first so-called "bad" loss on the NCAA resume. Vandy came in ranked 77th in the Ratings Percentage Index and 0-6 against RPI Top 50s. UF was No. 6, so it'll be a great win for the Commodores. Look for the Gators to take a big drop in the RPI now.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: No question it was Allen, who entered the game in a three-game malaise during which he went a combined 5-for-18 from the floor, 0-for-8 from the 3-point line and scored just 16 points. Against the Commodores, Allen's 29 points were three off the career-high 32 he poured in against Florida State as a freshman last season. He hit 10 of his 19 shots, went 5-for-13 from deep -- missing the last one, unfortunately, for the Gators -- and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Getting Allen's confidence back was a positive (the only one) to take from a game that was a major, major downer.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Three nights ago, officials in the UF-South Carolina game called 55 fouls that led to 62 free throws. The Gators shot 28 of 'em. In this one: 30 total fouls and just 21 free throws. The Commodores went 12 of 13 from the line. The Gators just 6-for-8.
UP NEXT: Florida (14-5, 5-2) takes off this week on a two-game road swing that will put the Gators on Wednesday night in Baton Rouge, La., to face LSU (9-8, 1-5). The Tigers play Arkansas in a Saturday night game. From there, UF will venture further west for a date with Oklahoma and rendevouz with former Coach Lon Kruger as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. These Sooners (8-9, 2-4) are a far cry from the bunch who reached the Final Four last season, but they shocked No. 7 West Virginia on the road Wednesday, which got some folks' attention in Gainesville.
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