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Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt fans storm court after chaotic finish vs. No. 6 Tennessee

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•about 9 hours
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© Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The Vanderbilt Commodores tried nearly everything imaginable to blow their 16-point lead to the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday. But they escaped thanks to Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier missing one of his two free throws with two seconds left. He missed the second one, allowing the Commodores to survive what would have been one of the dumber fouls of the college basketball season.

The home crowd stormed the court after the ‘Dores prevailed 76-75 in a chaotic finish.

Vanderbilt was up by two points in the closing seconds, before they inexplicably fouled deep in the backcourt, nowhere near their hoop. That sent Chaz Lanier to the line, and he only connected on one of two free throws, and the Commodores pulled off the chaotic win.

Tennessee finished with four players in double figures. Igor Milicic, Felix Okpara, Zakai Zeigler, and Chaz Lanier. Lanier led all Volunteer scorers with 17 points, and all of the other three players had 16 points. Vanderbilt had four players in double figures, Jason Edwards, AJ Hoggard, Tyler Nickel, and Jaylen Carey.

Tyler Nickel was four of seven from three-point range and Jason Edwards was three of six from beyond-the-arc. Vanderbilt’s Chris Manon was one of the heroes in the final seconds, coming up with an impressive block at the rim on Chaz Lanier.

Following the big win, Commodores’ head coach Mark Byington spoke with the SEC Network. What’s the feeling like, knocking off the No. 6 team in America?

“Well, the immediate reaction is, I was so happy for the fans and our players. And we’re trying to build something here. We’re trying to get people to believe. And the crowd was amazing today. And our players believed too, so. I know they want and deserve, and I was just happy for everybody,” Byington explained.

What did it mean to him and his players to get the win? “Yeah, I mean, we’re trying to build a program. And we’ve got tremendous respect for Tennessee. We know it’s a rivalry, but the things they’ve done, the team they are. We’re trying to be a great team in the SEC. And this league is brutal. It’s absolutely tough. Every game has taken years off my life. But it’s great for us to have the moment to be able to know that we can pull these games off,” Byington continued.