Ed Condron

New Orleans, LA

Jeffery Taylor scored 18 points and Festus Ezeli and John Jenkins netted 17 each as Vanderbilt shocked the Kentucky, 71-64, to win their first SEC tournament championship in over 60 years.

Taylor shot 6-for-13 from the field and 4-for-6 from the charity stripe to set the pace for the Commodores, who last won the crown in 1951. He also recorded 11 boards and 2 steals in solid 34 minutes of action.

Vanderbilt's frontline trio of Taylor, Ezeli, and Lance Goulbourne also did an outstanding job clogging the lane against the Wildcats, who only shot .359 percent on the floor.

Kentucky raced to a 7-1 lead in the opening minutes but Vanderbilt fought back to tie the game, 37-37, at the half.

The Wildcats once again threatened to pull away at the start of the second half but the Commodores stayed within striking distance.

Down by seven points with 5:23 left to play, Vanderbilt unleashed a 16-2 run down the stretch to end the Wildcats two-year reign in SEC tournament.

Darius Miller finished with 16 points on 17 shots, while Terrence Jones (12 points and 11 boards) and Anthony Davis (12 points and 10 boards) each recorded a double-double in the losing effort.

Vanderbilt nabbed an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament while Kentucky is the top seed in the NCAA Tournament's South region and the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.

 

Vandy Knocks Off Top-Ranked Kentucky in SEC Tourney Final