Commodores mount comeback to top Florida, keep NCAA hopes alive

Vanderbilt Hustler
Vanderbilt pulled out a close 73-71 win over No. 12 Florida Saturday afternoon in Memorial Gym in front of a packed crowd.
Vanderbilt honored its two seniors, Luke Kornet and Nolan Cressler, by presenting them with framed jerseys with their families present, as well as honoring senior manager Zach Hamer. Kornet led the team with 24 points while Cressler added 13 more.
Moreover, Kornet had two blocks for 203 career blocks, only trailing Festus Ezeli by one on the all-time list for blocks in school history. Kornet earned praise from Florida head coach Mike White, who referred to him as, “in my opinion, the best defender in the league.”
The two seniors not only led the team on the court with their production, but they were also the emotional leaders for an intense regular season finale.
After a made jumper from Florida’s Kasey Hill, Vanderbilt opened the game with a 9-0 run, led by two drives and lay-ins by Cressler, as well as a three by Kornet, forcing a Florida timeout. The Gators came back and made a couple of shots out of the timeout to head into the under-16 media timeout. All of Florida’s makes to start the game came inside the three-point line, most of them being mid-range jumpers.
Vanderbilt kept at it with a stuff by Kornet off a feed from Cressler for the senior connection, as they both played their last games at Memorial Gym.  
The Commodores forced three turnovers in the first three minutes. Their improved play at that end of the floor was a key factor in their late-season surge, including four consecutive wins before losing to Kentucky, to force themselves into NCAA tournament conversation.
Riley LaChance went to the basket with a spin move for the hoop and the harm, completing a three-point play from the charity stripe. The game was still tight going under ...


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