Vandy rallies past Nebraska, 59-49

SAN JUAN, P.R.-- John Jenkins scored 22 points and Jeffery Taylor added 14 as Vanderbilt rallied past Nebraska 59-49 in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Vanderbilt was tough defensively, holding the Cornhuskers to 0-10 from 3-point range and without a field goal the last eight minutes of the game.

John Jenkins hit a 3-point shot with 6:23 remaining in the game to tie the score at 46. Less than a minute later Jenkins hit a 2-point jumper to give Vanderbilt their first lead since the opening minutes of the game, 48-46. Steve Tchiengang’s 3-pointer with 2:24 to go bulged the lead to 54-48 and put the Commodores on glide path to their second victory of the season.

The Commodores led by as many as four early in the first half but were plagued by turnovers and rimmed-out shots. Nebraska took a 14-12 lead on a Christian Standhardinger jump shot with 10:18 left in the first half. The Cornhuskers were able to build their first half lead to as much as six but the Commodores battled back and were able to tie the score at 25 on a free throw by John Jenkins with 2:47 to play in the half. However, a jump shot by Drake Beranek in the final seconds of the first half gave Nebraska a 28-26 halftime lead.

Both teams struggled shooting the ball and with sloppy ball handling. Vanderbilt shot just 39 percent from field goal range while the Cornhuskers managed just 35 percent. Nebraska had 15 turnovers and Vanderbilt 12. The Huskers were led in scoring by Brandon Ubel with 10.

Next up for Vanderibilt (2-0) is West Virginia, who defeated Davidson 84-70, in the semifinals Friday at 11:30 a.m. CT. The game will be televised by ESPNU.


Lance Goulbourne (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)