Vengeful Vanderbilt shuts down Bulldogs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - After playing to the level of its competition in a loss at Georgia last month, Vanderbilt only let the Bulldogs control the game for 12 minutes on Saturday.

The Commodores shook off another sluggish start to defeat Georgia 65-37, running away in the game's final 32 minutes to extract a bit of revenge for a 68-59 loss to the Bulldogs on Jan. 22.

"We played a little bit better against them this time than the last," Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. "I thought the key was our run to close the half. That was the difference in the game."

Corey Smith led the way for Vanderbilt (17-11, 7-7 Southeastern Conference) with 15 points and four assists, while Dawid Przybyszewski and Shan Foster added 10 points each as the Commodores recorded their fourth SEC victory of 20 points or more this season.

The Commodores trailed by as many as eight early before ripping off a 22-3 run to close the half. Foster finished the run with a 3-pointer with 2 seconds remaining and Vanderbilt entered the break leading 30-19.

Vanderbilt picked up where it left off to start the second half, outscoring Georgia 20-6 to take a 50-25 lead with 13:57 to play.

"We just came out a little tentative, not playing at the pace we needed to against them," Stallings said. "Georgia plays real physical and forces you into that style."

Vanderbilt's defense was the catalyst for the turnaround as the Commodores submitted one of its finest efforts of the season. Georgia scored a season-low 37 points and shot just 29 percent for the game. Georgia had 20 turnovers and missed its final 11 3-pointers of the game after hitting its first two.

"Our defense was the difference, the key to our win," Foster said. "We kind of got the defense going a little bit, hit some 3s and then it started."

Youne Idrissi led Georgia (8-17, 2-12) with nine points and Levi Stukes had eight points, seven below his 15.2 average. The Bulldogs will finish in the last place in the SEC East for the second straight year as they try to rebuild in the aftermath of the scandals that plagued former coach Jim Harrick's program.

"We are a team that struggles to score," Georgia coach Dennis Felton said. "There is nothing new to me there."

Vanderbilt shot 51 percent for the game, including 67 percent in the second half, and outrebounded Georgia 35-27.

The Commodores are hoping to return to the NCAA tournament for back-to-back years for the first time since 1988-89.

"You definitely know (the NCAA Tournament) is there, but you want to keep it in the back of your mind," Smith said. "We all know how important every game is and how important it is to come ready to play."