Senior Night
For Vanderbilt men’s basketball team seniors, Festus Ezeli, Jeffrey Taylor and Brad Tinsley, their last game in Memorial Gym will be one to remember. Last night, the Commodores beat the number 16 team in the country, the Florida Gators 77-67.
After two very close losses to top ranked Kentucky, the Commodores showed their resilience to win a critical SEC match-up with Florida last night in a game that was featured on ESPN. Vanderbilt fans came out in full force to show their support for our senior players as they played their last game in Memorial Gym. The energy was electric as the Commodores jumped out to an early lead behind some sharp 3 point shooting by John Jenkins, who went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc last night. Florida was able to pull within 3 going into the half however.
The seniors showed their heart and determination with Taylor, Ezeli and Tinsley all playing critical roles as the ‘Dores pulled away in the final five minutes of the game. All three received standing ovations when Coach Stallings pulled them out in the final few seconds of the game. These three have been critical to the Commodores improvement over the past few years. Although the players were clearly emotional as they left the court, they certainly saved one of their best games for last. Memorial Madness was out in full force last night and I look forward to seeing what the Commodores can achieve in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.
