National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Vanderbilt 71, Kentucky 64
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 11, 2012
Where: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Officials: # Tony Greene, # Mike Nance, # Antinio Petty
Attendance: 18114

Vanderbilt 71, No. 1 Kentucky 64: The Commodores won their first SEC championship since 1951, ending the top-ranked Wildcats’ 24-game winning streak.

Freshman Kedren Johnson’s three-point play with 1:30 to go snapped a 62-62 tie, and Vanderbilt (24-10) rallied from a seven-point deficit with less than six minutes remaining. Jeffery Taylor scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Commodores, while Festus Ezeli and John Jenkins added 17 points each.

Even with the loss, the Wildcats (32-2) most likely will be the top overall seed when the NCAA tournament pairings are announced later on Sunday. Darius Miller, who did not score in Kentucky’s first two SEC tournament games, led the Wildcats with 16 points. Anthony Davis and Terrence Jones each finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Vanderbilt tied the game at 62 on Ezeli’s tip-in with 1:54 left. After a miss on the other end, Johnson’s driving layup and free throw with 1:30 seconds to go pushed the Commodores ahead 65-62.

The Wildcats missed their final five shots from the field, and the Commodores sewed it up by going six-for-six from the foul line in the final minute.

Lance Goulbourne’s dunk six minutes into the second half gave Vanderbilt a 47-46 lead. But the Wildcats scored 16 of the next 22 points, building a 62-55 advantage on an Anthony Davis free throw with 5:23 remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK:
Vanderbilt scored seven consecutive points to build a 26-18 lead with 5:18 left in the first half… Kentucky rallied from the deficit with a 12-2 run, going ahead 30-28 on two Doron Lamb free throws with 2:36 remaining in the half… Jenkins scored 11 points in the first half on three-of-six shooting, including three-of-five from 3-point range… Kentucky got a big boost off the bench from Kyle Wiltjer, who hit two-of-three attempts from 3-point range in the first half.
Top Game Performances
 
Vanderbilt   Kentucky
Jeffery Taylor 18 Scoring Darius Miller 16
Brad Tinsley 4 Assists Marquis Teague 6
Jeffery Taylor 11 Rebounds Terrence Jones 11
John Jenkins 8 Free Throws Made Doron Lamb 6
Jeffery Taylor 2 Steals Terrence Jones 2
Festus Ezeli 1 Blocks Anthony Davis 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Vanderbilt 71 43.1 6-18 21-32 8 36 2 5 11
Kentucky 64 35.9 6-28 12-19 12 30 8 6 8