Vanderbilt Falls Short Against Florida, Second Consecutive Loss
Coming off their first loss of the season, Vanderbilt returned home to take on the No. 19 Florida Gators. Florida brought in serious size and physicality with big men Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon. The game was a physical war in the paint inside of a loud, packed Memorial Gymnasium. Florida’s size and timely shot-making ultimately led to a 98-94 loss for the Commodores, their second in a row after starting the season 16-0.
The first half was defined by runs. Vanderbilt jumped out to a 6-2 lead behind three-pointers from AK Okereke and Tyler Nickel before Florida evened the score at 8 headed into the first TV timeout. Vanderbilt took a 17-13 lead after a smooth Tyler Tanner and-one.
Florida proceeded to go on a 13-0 run, taking the lead 26-17 after a Xaivian Lee 3-pointer. Three-pointers from Duke Miles and Tyler Harris helped the Commodores pull to within 1 point before a Tyler Tanner run-out layup put the Commodores back into the lead.
A Rueben Chinyelu bucket put Florida up 1 with around 40 seconds left in the first half. A missed Duke Miles three was rebounded by Jalen Washington who hit a turnaround jumper as time expired in the first half to give the Commodores a 45-44 lead.
While Vanderbilt had the lead headed into halftime, they were outrebounded by Florida 22-13 in the first half. That margin did not decrease in the second half. Vanderbilt jumped out to a 49-44 lead and felt like some momentum was building until a hook-and-hold review resulted in a Flagrant 1 foul on Devin McGlockton. Chinyelu shot and made four free throws, and Florida retained possession of the ball. Thomas Hughes buried a corner three, a seven-point possession for Florida that resulted in a 51-49 lead for the Gators.
The game continued to be a back-and-forth slugfest with both teams battling in the paint and hitting big shots in key moments. Jalen Washington in particular battled with the best offensive rebounder in the SEC (and possibly country) all night. An electric Washington dunk tied the game up at 60 with 13½ minutes remaining.
A lot of fouls were called and a lot of free throws were shot and made by both teams down the stretch. Vanderbilt was 20-22 on the day (91%) while Florida was 25-30 (83%). Duke Miles fouled out of the game with 4:14 left on the clock and Vanderbilt trailing 86-83, a big loss for Vanderbilt down the stretch. As good of a player as he is, Duke Miles has to be better about staying out of foul trouble, especially with Frankie Collins unable to suit up. Even with Miles fouled out, Vanderbilt battled back and took the lead 92-90 on a Tyler Nickel mid-range floater.
Chinyelu hit a jumper from the foul line on the other end to tie the ball game at 92. Devin McGlockton responded with a mid-range jumper of his own, giving Vanderbilt a 94-92 lead with just 1:15 remaining. Vanderbilt fans could taste a top 20 home victory, just one stop and rebound. Florida’s Xaivian Lee, wearing number 99 instead of his usual number as the Florida managers forgot some jerseys in Gainesville, buried a 32-foot step back three with Devin McGlockton on him to give Florida a 95-94 lead.
AK Okereke drove into the paint and had the ball knocked away out of bounds, giving Florida possession. Vanderbilt fouled Xaivian Lee, who made one of two free throws. Nickel pulled down the rebound and the Commodores had a chance to tie or take the lead. Instead of electing to use a timeout, Mark Byington elected to leave the ball in the hands of his star point guard Tyler Tanner. Tanner drove the ball in and threw up a bit of a wild floater, maybe expecting Florida’s Boogie Fland to foul. Alex Condon was fouled with six seconds left and knocked down 2 free throws to secure a Florida Gator victory. Vanderbilt was outrebounded 40-26 by the Gators.
Vanderbilt loses to Florida 98-94, their second consecutive loss after starting 16-0. The next one doesn’t get easier for the Commodores. Vanderbilt will travel on the road to take on the No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks on Tuesday, January 20th at 8pm CST.
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