Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings had never won in Bud Walton Arena before the Commodores (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 AP) beat Arkansas 89-72 on Saturday.
He had brought teams to Fayetteville five times with the same result, giving extra meaning to Vanderbilt’s second win in Fayetteville in school history. Stallings even got a high-five during his post-game news conference from Jeffery Taylor, who led Vandy with 18 points.
“I asked them if they’d get me off the schneid here, and they did it,” Stallings said.
Taylor led a balanced offense that helped the Commodores (22-6, 11-3 SEC) move within one game of first-place Kentucky in the Eastern Division. A.J. Ogilvy scored 14 points, John Jenkins and Brad Tinsley each had 13, and Darshawn McClellan added 11.
Vanderbilt scored the first six points of Saturday’s contest — the Razorbacks committed turnovers on their first three possessions — and led from start to finish.
The Commodores shot 53.3 percent from the field, including 65.4 in the first half, and led 45-35 at halftime. Vanderbilt also hit 20 of 23 free throws.
“They got on a quick run and that gave them a lot of confidence early,” Arkansas’ Rotnei Clarke said. “They executed really well, and we could’ve been better on the defensive end. They moved the ball well, ran the motion offense well and they just hit shots.”
Matt Field
Nashville.com Sports Editor
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