A game that felt like déjà vu or a bad dream for Commodore basketball fans at times, ultimately resulted in a huge victory. Vanderbilt was able to prevent ANOTHER second half collapse, beating Ole Miss 77-72 thanks in large part to offensive production from unexpected places. Cornell transfer Chris Manon led the Commodores to victory with 16 points, inspired defense, and a key late 3-pointer. Former Commodore and Belmont Bruin Malik Dia led the way for Ole Miss with 22 points.
Vanderbilt entered this matchup against #24 Ole Miss on a 3 game losing streak. Granted that losing streak was against very high quality competition - #1 Auburn, at #5 Tennessee, and at #17 Kentucky. However, the Commodores didn’t just lose three straight games, they allowed three opportunities to slip through their fingers. Vanderbilt was close, or leading, at halftime in all three of those games, but the Dores were outscored by 48 points in the second halves.
It is that time of year again, and just one unexpected win against a high quality opponent can be the difference in making the big dance or sadly competing in the Not Invited Tournament. While this matchup against the Rebels wasn’t technically a must win game, it felt like this had to be a W in order for the Commodores to make the tournament.
Vanderbilt started out strong, jumping out to an 18-6 lead in the first five minutes. Vanderbilt continued to control the pace of play with solid defensive intensity, forcing Ole Miss to start 0-7 from behind the arc. Vanderbilt led 34-15 with 5:44 remaining in the first half. Ole Miss found something at that point, going on a 17-4 run and cutting the lead to 38-32 with 1 minute remaining. Jason Edwards hit a 3-pointer and Vanderbilt led Ole Miss 41-33 at half.
Even with a lead, Vanderbilt fans could feel the momentum shift in Memorial Gym during the final 5 minutes of the half. Vanderbilt had been in the exact same position the previous 3 games. Can the Commodores close out a much needed victory?
The second half did not start well for the Commodores, a Jaylen Murray layup gave Ole Miss a 1 point lead, 47-46, at the 16:08 mark. Vanderbilt continued to scrap and claw throughout the second half, the lead swapped back and forth between the Commodores and Rebels. In one word the second half could be described as intense. Jason Edwards got things going on the offensive end for Vanderbilt, but so did Malik Dia and Sean Pedulla for Ole Miss, neither team could create separation.
The turning point of the game came courtesy of Chris Manon. With 5 minutes remaining, the game was at a stalemate, 64-64. Manon came up with a steal and on the other end buried a huge 3-pointer, giving Vanderbilt a 67-64 lead. Vanderbilt got a stop on the other end, Manon grabbed the rebound and then threw down a powerful dunk off a beautiful give and go, extending the Commodore lead and getting the black and gold faithful on their feet in Memorial.
Despite some mental mistakes, Vanderbilt was able to close out the game and hold on for a key 77-72 victory over the #24 Ole Miss Rebels. While this win doesn’t punch Vanderbilt’s ticket, it firmly puts Vanderbilt in the driver’s seat, controlling their own destiny.
Vanderbilt travels to College Station to take on the #7 Texas A&M Aggies on Tuesday, coming off a loss to the Tennessee Volunteers.
