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John Jenkins drove into the lane, caught Chandler Parsons shuffling his feet, drew contact and heard the whistle that could make it a tie game.
And just like that, it was all over for the Commodores.
Jenkins was called for a charge, and Coach Kevin Stallings rushed out on the court to protest, citing the sideline official's block call. Stallings, about 15 feet past the sideline, was an easy target for a technical foul, and Florida capitalized on the shift of momentum with a 9-1 run that proved to be the difference in the Gators 86-74 win.
Florida's balanced attack kept the Commodores at bay, as the Gators' prowess on the boards and ability to create turnovers sunk an outstanding shooting effort from Vanderbilt. Vandy shot an impressive 59.2% from the field but were undone by Florida's 11 offensive rebounds and the team's 10 turnovers. Florida finished with 10 more field goal attempts than the 'Dores. The loss erased strong efforts from John Jenkins, Festus Ezeli, and Jeffery Taylor.
The loss dropped the team to 9-7 in the SEC East and eliminated them from contention for a bye in the first round of the SEC Tournament. Fortunately, the 'Dores will face either a mediocre-to-awful Auburn team or an equally ineffective LSU squad next Thursday to kick off the first stage of the postseason. Vanderbilt will likely drop out of the Top 25 with the loss, and will now have to fight for a 6-seed or lower in the NCAA Tournament.
Rod Odom had one of his best games for the 'Dores before fouling out, scoring 10 points and recording five rebounds in a strong effort. Chris Meriwether, one of Vandy's two seniors, scored his first points of the season with a long jumper in the game's final minutes. Jenkins had 22 points in a one-dimensional effort, while Ezeli and Taylor combined for 31 points and just five rebounds.