KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt made 13 consecutive field goals to close the game and defeated Tennessee, 73-65, Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Vols (14-13, 6-9 SEC) led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but Vanderbilt (16-12, 6-9) rallied while shooting 84.2 percent from the floor in the second half to gain a split of the regular-season series between bitter state rivals.
“I am not discouraged in our team,” Tennessee coach Donnie Tyndall said.
“We just (have) to bounce back and be ready to play.”
Josh Richardson led the Vols in scoring with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. Derek Reese added 13 points and five rebounds.
The game involved big momentum swings by both teams. Vanderbilt started the game on a 16-5 but, but the Vols closed out the first half on a 25-3 run. The final scoring streak belonged to the Commodores, who had a 31-7 run in the second half and made 13 consecutive field goals to finish the game.
Vanderbilt built its lead 16-5 early thanks to a 12-0 run, but Vols answered with a run of their own to take a 17-16 lead, capped by a 3-pointer by Kevin Punter with 8:03 on the clock.
Tennessee eventually scored 14 unanswered points.
Using that run, the Vols finished the first half outscoring the Commodores 25-3 and held Vanderbilt scoreless for the final 6:02 until halftime. The Commodores were 0-for-9 from the field during that scoreless stretch.
Tennessee led 30-19 at halftime.
Though the Vols led by 13 points early in the second half, Vanderbilt came back and eventually took a 51-50 lead on a 3-point play by Damian Jones with 7:20 left. That turned out to be the last lead change of the game.
Vanderbilt shot just 33.3 percent in the first half on 7-of-21 shooting and four 3-pointers, but stepped up the scoring in the second half by making 16-of-19 shots from the floor, including 9-for-11 (81.8 percent) from 3-point range.
Tennessee had a major 37-19 advantage in rebounding, including 19-1 in offensive rebounds. The 19 rebounds set an arena record for fewest rebounds by an opponent. It tied the record of fewest by any team, as the Vols had 19 vs. Alabama in 2005.
The Vols scored 24 points on second chance opportunities. Four Vols had at least five rebounds each.
Tennessee won the first game of the season in the series, 76-73, in overtime, back on Feb. 11 in Nashville.
The Vols now have a quick turnaround, with three regular season games left, as they play at Florida (13-15, 6-9) on Saturday. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.