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Tennessee erases double-digit halftime deficit, storms back to beat Vanderbilt
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Tennessee outscored Vanderbilt by 18 points in the second half on Saturday, overcoming a 16-point deficit to win 81-76.
It was the fourth time this season that Tennessee (21-5, 8-5 SEC) trailed at the half and came back to win the game. It was also an eighth consecutive home victory over Vandy for the Vols, who came out of the halftime break with their hair on fire.
Guard Zakai Zeigler was massive in the comeback. After a scoreless first half, Zeigler scored all 22 of his points over the final 20 minutes. He made 7 of his 9 shots from the field, made 3 of his 4 triples, and dished 4 assists. Zeigler finished with 8 assists to go with his team-high 22 points. Chaz Lanier added 21 on 9-of-16 shooting.
The first half was woeful from Tennessee. The offense was fine — UT shot 46% from the field and made 4 of its 10 triples with just 3 turnovers — but the defense couldn’t get a stop.
Vanderbilt knocked down 54.8% of its shots, made 6 of its 12 triples, and scored 20 points in the paint. The Commodores also dominated the glass, owning a 21-10 edge on the boards after 20 minutes. Jason Edwards and Jaylen Carey each scored 10 first-half points for Vandy, which led 44-31 at the break.
Tennessee opened the second half on a 16-6 run to flip the game and get back to within a single possession. A triple from Ziegler with 9:41 to go tied the game at 55-55. A layup from Lanier less than a minute later gave Tennessee its first lead of the game.
From there, Vandy was entirely dependent on Edwards and Carey to put the ball in the basket. The ‘Dores only scored 32 points in the second half, but 22 of them came from that duo. And over the final 10 minutes, a bucket from MJ Collins was the only production from a Vandy player not named Edwards or Carey.
Carey finished with 18 points and 7 boards before fouling out. Edwards had 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting and 6-of-10 from deep. That 2-man game wasn’t enough to keep pace with a suddenly lights-out Tennessee offense.
The Vols made 17 of their 26 shots in the second half (65.4%) and drilled 5 of their 11 triples (45.5%). Vandy shot just 35.7% from the field over the final 20 minutes.
Tennessee gets a week off before its next game, which comes in College Station against No. 8 Texas A&M next Saturday. Vanderbilt (17-8, 5-7 SEC) will face No. 15 Kentucky in Lexington on Wednesday as it looks to snap a slide. The Commodores have lost 4 of their last 5 after wins in 3 of 4.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
