Vandy pulls away from WMU
Orlando, Fla. ? Mario Moore’s outside shooting allowed Vanderbilt to turn a struggle into a rout.
Moore scored a career-best 26 points and hit six three-pointers, the last breaking open a close game, leading the sixth-seeded Commodores past Western Michigan, 71-58, in the first round of the Phoenix Regional on Friday.
“We just needed something to create some separation,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said.
It was the first NCAA Tournament win for Vanderbilt since reaching the round of 16 in 1993. The Commodores advanced to play No. 3 seed North Carolina State on Sunday.
It wasn’t easy, however. Vanderbilt (22-9) led by only two after 35 minutes and the game seemed destined to go down to final seconds.
That’s when Moore drained his fourth three-pointer of the half, putting the Commodores up 58-53. After a miss by the Broncos, Matt Freije sank another three to stretch the lead. Freije finished with 13 points.
“As long as it’s a one-possession game, both teams are in there, sort of playing in a comfort zone,” said Stallings, a former Kansas University assistant. “But all of a sudden, when you take it to two or three possessions, now there’s additional pressure on the team that’s behind.
“Shooting gets harder, passing gets harder when that happens.”
Western Michigan (26-5) may have started to feel that pressure. The Broncos missed seven of their next eight shots, and the Commodores took advantage.
Western Michigan's Ben Reed (33) blocks Vanderbilt's Matt Freije (35) as Brian Snider defends. The Commodores won, 71-58, Friday in Orlando, Fla.
Moore hit a pair of jumpers and Vanderbilt took control with a 16-2 outburst. Moore made all seven of his shots after the break, finishing 10-for-16.
Western Michigan, the Mid-American Conference champion which equaled a school record for wins, failed to reach the second round for the first time in three tournament appearances.
“We had a heck of a year and a heck of an effort,” Broncos coach Steve Hawkins said. “But Vanderbilt, quite simply, was the better team.”
Mike Williams, the MAC’s player of the year, led Western Michigan with 24 points.
North Carolina State 61, Louisiana-Lafayette 52
Orlando, Fla. — North Carolina State overcame a slow start. Marcus Melvin scored 20 points and North Carolina State (21-9), seeded third in the Phoenix Regional, survived a subpar performance by ACC player of the year Julius Hodge, who struggled all afternoon and was held to 14 points on 5-for-13 shooting.
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