Gutsy Performance from Vanderbilt Falls Short As Kentucky Powers to 71-62 win

The Commodores gave perhaps their best effort of the entire season, but in the end it wasn't enough to overcome the Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena.

LEXINGTON KY- The first 30 minutes was just what Jerry Stackhouse and the Vanderbilt Commodores wanted, as the visitors managed to build as much as a 10-point lead in the first 10 minutes of the second half.  In the end, the 13th ranked Kentucky Wildcats clawed there way from behind in the second half to win 71-62  

The loss, the twenty-fifth in a row in conference play leaves the Commodores all alone in sole possession of the longest consecutive losing streak in conference history. 

The Commodores played with heart and were not intimidated by the 20,500 blue-clad fans and managed to take the lead with 8:37 remaining in the first half and hold it for the next 19:08 until the Wildcats took a one-point 51-50 lead with 9:29 left to play.

Kentucky got on the board first as TyreeseMaxey connected from deep to give the home-standing Cats an early advantage until Scottie Pippen Jr. matched him with a deep shot of his own.  

The two teams traded baskets with Kentucky building an 11-6 lead but the Commodores, despite once again struggling from the field managed to battle back and took the lead when Saben Lee finished a drive with a layup to put the visitors in from 16-15. 

Anther Lee basket and back-to-back three-pointers from Dylan Disu and Pippen Jr. gave Vanderbilt a 25-22 advantage that they would maintain throughout the remained of the half and take a 35-28 advantage to the locker room after the first twenty minutes.  

The Commodores connected on 14 of 27 first-half shots, good for 52% AND 5 OF 12 FOR 42% from long range. 

Lee and Disu lead the Commodores, and all scorers in the half with 10 points each, while Pippen Jr. (8) and Maxwell Evans finished with 6 points in the frame.  

Kentucky struggled throughout the first twenty-minutes, managing just 10-26 from the court, good for 38% and only 1-6 from deep in the half. The Cats were a perfect 7 of 7 from the free-throw stripe, allowing them to say close in spite of their poor shooting. 

Ashton Hagans led Kentucky with 9 in the half while Maxey ended the first half with 7 and Immanuel Quickley with 6 in what was one of the lowest scoring halves of the season for the Wildcats.  

Perhaps the two biggest statistics of the first half was turnovers and rebounds where the Commodores allowed just 6 turnovers to the Cats 8 and Vanderbilt played even with the Cats on the glass as each team collected 15 rebounds in the half. 

The Commodores finished the game shooting just 39% as once again the second half shooting slump doomed them.  

Lee led the Commodores with 21 while Disu (13), Pippen Jr. (12) and Evans (10) all finished in double figures. Disu also collected 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. 

Disu's 11 boards were a career-high as were his five blocked shots.   

Maxey led the Wildcats with 17 points, 10 coming in the second half, while Nick Richards finished with 15, Hagans 12, and Quickley 11 as Kentucky finished the game shooting 46 percent, up from their 38.5 marks in the first half. 

Vanderbilt returns to Nashville to host the Florida Gators on Saturday in a 7:30 tipoff.