MBB: Abdur-Rahim's last-second effort falls short as Vanderbilt survives a late scare from Bulldogs
MBB: Abdur-Rahim's last-second effort falls short as Vanderbilt survives a late scare from Bulldogs
ATHENS — Georgia trailed Vanderbilt 85-82 Saturday with 3.9 seconds remaining in the game.
The Bulldogs ran an inbounds play, and the ball ended up in Jabri Abdur-Rahim’s hands.
The sophomore shooting guard spun around and heaved up a prayer; however, the ball bounced off the rim and fell short, which solidified the victory for the Commodores (10-9, 3-3 SEC). They narrowly escaped with a three-point SEC win over Georgia (13-6, SEC).
Abdur-Rahim felt the Bulldogs’ execution was solid on the last play but the shot didn’t fall.
“We ran it well, they blew it up,” Abdur-Rahim said. “They guarded it really, really well. I feel like they knew it was for me, but we executed well, and I just couldn’t get it to fall.”
Georgia’s only two leads came early in the game. After that, Vanderbilt was in the driver’s seat the rest of the way, but the Bulldogs gave their opponent a run for their money.
Georgia pulled within one possession of the Commodores on six different occasions in the final period, but the Bulldogs could never get over the hump and retake a late lead.
Vanderbilt led by 10 points with 4:31 remaining in the contest when Georgia went on an 11-0 run, which was powered by offensive baskets from four different Bulldog players.
Georgia’s Terry Roberts capped off the run by hitting a layup at the 2:13 mark, pulling the Bulldogs to within one point; however, Commodore guard Tyrin Lawrence drew a hard foul.
The Madison, Ga., native nailed both free throws, pushing Vanderbilt’s lead back to 79-76. The Commodores shot 100 percent (8-of-8) from the charity stripe in the final 1:04 of play.
Still, as Kario Oquendo hit a free throw, Georgia had a chance. Abdur-Rahim also nailed all three baskets after being fouled while shooting a 3-pointer with under 10 seconds left.
Vanderbilt held an 83-82 lead with five ticks remaining until junior guard Trey Thomas hit both his free throws, extending the Commodores’ lead back to three points.
Georgia head coach Mike White didn’t think his players were “connected” on defense.
“We weren’t sharp enough defensively,” White said. “We weren’t connected enough to beat a team of this caliber in this league that shoots it the way they did. How do you give up 85 at home?”
Vanderbilt was on fire offensively in the first half, scoring more than 40 points and shooting 67 percent from the 3-point line. The Commodores led the Bulldogs 44-36 at the half.
Abdur-Rahim scored 11 points in the opening period and was 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. His scoring effort in the first half helped keep Vanderbilt’s lead within double digits.
The 6-foot-8, 210-pound guard, who led in points for the Bulldogs with a career-high 21, felt like their defensive performance was the problem against the Commodores on Saturday.
“I feel like offensively we never had a problem. We just couldn’t get anything done on the defensive end,” Abdur-Rahim said. “You know, we made a bunch of big-time shots. But every time we made a big shot, they made a bigger one to come right back at us.”
Georgia had several other players in double-digits, including Roberts (15 points), Oquendo (13) and Braelen Bridges (10). Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe also added eight points.
On the other hand, Vanderbilt had five players in double-figures, with Ezra Manjon scoring a high 19 points. Lawrence was next for the Commodores with 15 points in the game.
White’s message to his players following the contest was that he wants them to respond positively as they head into Wednesday’s matchup against No. 9 Tennessee.
“We didn’t quite respond to the second half the way we could have. It’s not the win or the loss, it’s not the outcome, and I’m a big believer in that,” White said. “Let’s control what we can control, stay in the moment, focus on the details of the game, playing off of two feet, making the extra pass, running to the corner. It’s a split-second game, and we have hundreds and thousands of split-second jobs and responsibilities throughout the game.
“And defensively, we just weren’t quite as sharp as we’ve been, especially at home,” White added. “As a head coach, you think about all the things you could’ve done better.”
The Bulldogs and No. 9 Volunteers will tip off at 7:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday in Knoxville.