Arkansas avoids letdown loss to Vandy
FAYETTEVILLE — Given a second chance to hit a game-winning shot, Keyshawn Embery-Simpson didn’t turn it down.
Embery-Simpson, a freshman guard, hit a 3-point basket with 14.8 seconds left to lift Arkansas (14-8, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) to a 69-66 victory over Vanderbilt (9-13, 0-9) on Tuesday night in Walton Arena before an announced crowd of 6,347.
After senior guard Joe Toye hit a 3-pointer to give Vanderbilt a 66-64 lead with 39.4 seconds left, Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson called timeout with 34 seconds left and put Embery-Simpson into the game for forward Gabe Osabuohien.
The Razorbacks worked the ball around and twice got it inside to 6-11 sophomore Daniel Gafford, but both times he was double-teamed and passed the ball to Embery-Simpson on the wing beyond the 3-point line.
The first time Embery-Simpson got the ball from Gafford — with 25 seconds left — he passed the ball to Mason Jones.
When Embery-Simpson got the ball again on the seventh pass of the possession, he hit a 3-pointer to give Arkansas a 67-66 lead.
“We defended well, I think,” Commodores head coach Bryce Drew said. “We took away things, and then (Embery-Simpson) made a big shot. So credit him for stepping up and making a big shot.”
Embery-Simpson said he knew he didn’t have time to pass up another shot.
“The shot clock was going down and I was like, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get it up,’ ” he said. “I was confident in me shooting it. I felt it coming off my hands and was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s got to be good.’”
Embery-Simpson finished with five points and hit 2 of 5 shots, including 1 of 2 3-pointers.
“I was off balance trying my best to not get a travel call,” Gafford said about his third assist of the game. “I forgot Keyshawn was over there, then I saw him at the last second.
“So, I just made the pass and he knocked the shot down for us. He was in the right spot at the right time.”
So was Arkansas sophomore point guard Jalen Harris, who drew a charge
from Vanderbilt guard Saben Lee with eight seconds left. Toye fouled Jones with 7.6 seconds left, and the sophomore guard hit two free throws to put the Razorbacks ahead, 69-66.
Vanderbilt junior forward Matt Ryan missed a 3-point attempt from deep in the corner that bounced off the rim with two seconds left. Harris grabbed the rebound as Arkansas held on for the victory.
“With seven seconds left and you have to go the length of the court, it’s tough to get a good look off,” Drew said. “So, I was pleased he had a clean follow through and just went off the back of the rim.”
Anderson said he decided not to foul with a three-point lead because he was concerned Vanderbilt might get a rebound off a missed a free throw — which the Commodores did four times.
“Sometimes, you can outcoach yourself,” Anderson said. “So I said, ‘We’re going to guard these guys.’ If he makes it, he makes it.”
The Razorbacks extended their winning streak to three games while handing the Commodores their 10th consecutive loss.
Gafford led Arkansas with 28 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Freshman guard Isaiah Joe scored
18 points for the Razorbacks on 6 of 10 shooting from beyond the
3-point arc.
Toye led Vanderbilt with 18 points off the bench. Freshman forward Simisola Shittu scored
12 points.
The teams traded the lead six times in the final 4:53 after Vanderbilt rallied from a 56-46 deficit. Embery-Simpson’s clutch shot kept the Commodores from completing the comeback.
“As soon as it left his hand, I knew it was going in,” Joe said. “Keyshawn is a great shooter, and he’s actually one of the best on the team.”
Reggie Chaney’s dunk with an assist from Gafford pushed the Razorbacks’ lead to 56-46.
Vanderbilt went on 14-2 run and took a 60-58 lead on Lee’s
3-pointer with 4:53 left. Gafford tied it, 60-60, with a dunk.
Shittu hit 1 of 2 free throws for a 61-60 lead for the Commodores, but Gafford’s dunk put Arkansas ahead 62-61 with 2:53 left.
After Shittu hit two free throws for a 63-62 Vanderbilt advantage, Jones scored on a drive to put Arkansas ahead 64-63.
Arkansas started the second half by outscoring Vanderbilt, 144, including 10 points by Gafford and Joe’s 3-pointer, to move ahead,
47-39, with 14:58.
Joe hit a 3-point basket with
26 seconds left in the first half to pull Arkansas within, 35-34, at halftime after the Razorbacks had trailed by as many as 10 points. Vanderbilt had a turnover just as the half ended to keep it a onepoint game.
The loss continued Vanderbilt’s worse start ever in SEC play. Prior to this season, the Commodores never had lost more than three games to open their SEC schedule.
Vanderbilt hasn’t won since Dec. 31 when the Commodores beat UNC-Asheville (3-20, 1-8 Big South), 90-59. The 10-game losing streak is the third longest for the Commodores. They had an
11-game streak during the 198485 season and school-record 14game streak over parts of the
1934-35 and 1935-36 seasons. The Razorbacks are over .500 in SEC play for the first time since starting, 1-0, when they won, 73-71, at Texas A&M (8-12,
1-7) on Jan. 5. They improved to
25-12 all-time against Vanderbilt, including 23-11 in SEC games and
15-3 in Fayetteville. Arkansas will play South Carolina (11-11, 6-3) on Saturday in Columbia, S.C. The Gamecocks lost at Kentucky (19-3, 8-1), 76-48, on Tuesday night.