Second Half Woes Afflict No 10 Vanderbilt as No. 7 St. Mary's Advances in NCAA Tournament
Vanderbilt basketball defeated numerous ranked teams throughout the season and threaten to knock off several more but first year head coach Mark Byington's Commodore struggled to maintain leads late in games.
The issue flared up once more as No. 7 St. Mary's closed a 12-point deficit in the second half to knock off No. 10 Vanderbilt 59-56 as the Commodores saw their season come to an end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner hit a 3-point shot to open the Commodore lead to 39-27 with 16:20 to play but St. Mary's closed the final 14 minutes on a 30-17 run to advance into the second round for the third time in four seasons.
Two-time WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marčiulionis stepped up for the Gaels and his 3-point shot with 6:54 to play gave St. Mary's their first lead since early in the first half. Marčiulionis ended the game as the second leading scorer for St. Mary's with 14 points, he had eight rebounds and two assists.
The Commodores opened the game well, holding St. Mary's to just 22 points in the opening half, forcing the Gaels into 2 of 16 shooting from beyond the arc. St. Mary's heated up in the second half making 5 of 9 from deep in the second half.
St. Mary's dominated the interior out rebounding Vanderbilt 41-28 with 10 offensive rebounds leading to 10 second chance points for the Gaels. Mitchell Saxen and Luke Barrett had nearly identical double-double performances in the first round. Saxen scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds while Barrett scored 12 with 10 boards.
Vanderbilt's Jason Edwards led the 'Dores with 18 points, he added five rebounds and three assists but was the only Commodore to score double-figures in Cleveland.
Vanderbilt On SI
My name is Joe Gaither and I graduated from the University of Alabama in 2018. I began my sports media career in radio in 2019, working for three years in Tuscaloosa covering the University of Alabama and other local high school sports. In 2023 I began my career with On SI writing and covering predominantly college athletics with a focus on the University of Alabama, University of Missouri and Vanderbilt.