2011 SEC Men's Tournament
Quarterfinal Round
Game 8 -- (E3) Vanderbilt 87, (W2) Mississippi State 81
Final Stats
Game Photos
Vanderbilt Quotes
Mississippi State Quotes
Game Highlights
Atlanta, Ga. -- John Jenkins returned from an injury to score 29 points and Vanderbilt beat Mississippi State 87-81 on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament.
Jenkins, the SEC's leading scorer, missed Thursday's win over Louisiana State with a sore left foot. He showed no sign of the injury against the Bulldogs. Jenkins scored 22 points in the second half, including a three-point play and rare four-point play in the final 2:03.
Jeffery Taylor had 20 points for Vanderbilt (23-9), which will play Florida in Saturday's second SEC semifinal. Alabama will face Kentucky in the first semifinal. Renardo Sidney had 22 points and Ravern Johnson had 18 for Mississippi State (17-14). Dee Bost had 16.
Sidney's second 3-pointer tied the game at 76 with 2:20 remaining. It was the 14th tie of the game and the sixth of second half. Led by Jenkins, Vanderbilt outscored the Bulldogs 11-5 the rest of the way.
Mississippi State was denied its fifth straight semifinals appearance and a chance to play in the championship game for the third straight year. The Bulldogs lost in overtime to Kentucky in last year's final after beating Tennessee for the 2009 tournament championship.
Sidney, Mississippi State's massive (6-10, 275) forward and leading rebounder, played only two minutes in the first half after picking up two early fouls. Sidney came out after halftime as if determined to make up for lost time.
All but two of Sidney's points came in the second half.
The Bulldogs adjusted to the unexpected early exit for Sidney and, displaying an uncanny knack for buzzer-beating shots, still led 38-36 at halftime.
Bost banked in a shot before the shot clock expired for a 29-28 lead and added another buzzer-beater at the end of the half to give the Bulldogs the lead.
Vanderbilt opened the second half with a 9-0 run that included a steal and basket by Jenkins, followed by his 3-pointer. The surge gave the Commodores a 45-38 lead, but the Bulldogs recovered quickly to resume the pattern of frequent lead changes.
2011 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament
Atlanta, Georgia
Game #8 Tournament Notes
Vanderbilt 87 Mississippi State 81
Series Notes:
All-Time Series: Vanderbilt leads the series, 74-43
SEC Tournament: Vanderbilt leads, 8-5
Season Series: Vanderbilt won in Starkville on Jan. 27, 81-74
Session Attendance: 17,096
Vanderbilt Notes:
Vanderbilt’s record is now 23-9
Tied at 76-76, Vanderbilt outscored MSU 11-5 the rest of the way, nine of which were scored by John Jenkins. Jenkins scored seven points on back-to-back possessions when he broke the tie with three free throws with 2:03, followed by a three-pointer and foul shot with 1:34 left
John Jenkins had his 18th 20-point game of the season with 29 points. He’s been in double figures every game this season.
Jeff Taylor also scored 20 points, his seventh 20-point total of the season. He’s had back-to-back 20 point games in this tourney and is averaging 17.8 over the last five games.
The last time VU had two players reach 20 points was Feb. 19 against Auburn.
Vandy has shot at least 50% in 11 games and is 10-1 in those games. (28-56)
Mississippi State Notes:
MSU is now 17-14
The Bulldogs had their three game winning streak snapped
Dee Bost had his second double-double of the year with 16 points and a career high 12 assists.
Renardo Sidney had 22 points, the fourth time he’s scored at least 20 this year. 20 of those points came after halftime.
Ravern Johnson added 18 points and moved into 11th place among MSU career scorers
MSU lost despite shooting 50.8% from the floor. Ironically, the Bulldogs are just 2-2 when making at least half their shots.
MSU’s SEC Legend is Darryl Wilson, a guard from 1991-94.