No.5 Vanderbilt comfortably beat No.12 Harvard 79-70 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in the Pit thanks to 27 points from John Jenkins.
Vanderbilt had an 18-point lead in the second half with 8:32 left but Harvard chipped away at the deficit to 71-65 with 1:01 remaining but the Commandeers made their free-throws down the stretch to take the game.
Vanderbilt’s had lost three straight NCAA tournament games to lower seeds and head coach Kevin Stallings said the win was an important step forward for the program.
“They (the seniors) got to experience the one thing they hadn’t experienced since they’ve been at Vanderbilt, and that success in the NCAA tournament,” he said. “I never thought they were going to overtake us, but it certainly thought it was getting a lot closer than I was hoping for.”
The first half was even with multiple tie games and lead changes. The score was tied at 20 with 4:06 left in the first half, then Vanderbilt blew the game open and went on a 12-3 run to end the half.
“We were able to make a good spurt there at the end of the first half,” Stallings said.
Vanderbilt continued the run in the second half and took an 18-point lead after a huge dunk from Jeffery Taylor with 7:49 left that got the 10,774 in attendance going. He finished with 15.
The last eight minutes was all Harvard though as a combination of 3-pointers and foul shots took the game to 70-65 with less than two minutes remaining.
Vanderbilt refused to lose though and hit eight free throws in the last 1:51 of the contest.
The Commandeers Jenkins 27 was a game high and Brad Tinlsey added 16 points. Vanderbilt was 25-56 shooting and 9-24 from behind the arc.
Laurent Rivald led Havard with 20 points and Kyle Casey chipped in with 13. The Crimson Tide shot 25-46.
Vanderbilt had 16 turnovers compared to 10 for Harvard.
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Vanderbilt will now play No.4 Wisconsin on Saturday at The Pit.
Taylor said the win was important for him being a senior and for the program.
“Its very meaningful for us,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of obstacles and hurdles we’ve had to clear throughout our time here at Vanderbilt. This one definitely means something for us.”
