Screens help Byars find his long-range shot
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Vanderbilt has relied on 3-pointers throughout the season and it finally got untracked from long distance in the second half of Saturday’s second-round NCAA tournament game.
After making 1 of 8 in the opening half, Vandy was 9 of 19 the rest of the way, including five 3s by Derrick Byars.
“I think they had (Robbie) Cowgill on me before and his length at 6-10, it can bother me,” Byars said. “In the first half I think I was rushing it a little more, trying to go a little 1-on-1 and trying to squeeze off the first look instead of the look we really wanted.”
Byars found operating room by running defenders off screens.
“I don’t know if they wore us down, but that’s what a screening offense like we run is supposed to do,” Cowgill said. “Hopefully, your shooters get a little more separation and we were probably one step behind where we were in the second half.”
Coach praises WSU
Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings dropped into his chair at the press conference table and offered a fitting description of his team’s victory.
“That was one of the best college basketball games I’ve ever been involved in,” Stallings said.
“As happy as I am for our team, my heart goes to (WSU coach) Tony Bennett and his team because neither team deserved to lose that game.
“We didn’t fight any harder than they did. We just made a couple of plays and that’s just the nature of close games like that.”
Vandy is now 10-4 in games decided by four points or less.
Stalled at four fouls
Byars, Shan Foster and Ted Skuchas, all saddled with four fouls in regulation, were able to avoid picking up their fifth. Foster picked up his fourth with 11:50 remaining, Byars with 2:57 left and Skuchas with 46 ticks left.
“I just had to be aggressive and aware that I had four,” Foster said. “I knew my team needed me down the stretch.”
Other than taking Foster out for a portion of the second half, Stallings had no choice but to play the trio that eventually made most of Vandy’s crucial plays.