How the game was won: Georgia (15-17) held a surprising 25-24 lead at halftime, but Vanderbilt (22-10) opened the second half on a 12-2 run, claiming a lead Georgia would not seriously threaten in the rest of the game as the Bulldogs suffered a season-ending defeat.

Turning point: Brad Tinsley sparked Vandy on its scoring run to start the second half, scoring the Commodores’ first five points as they claimed the lead for good.

Player of the game: John Jenkins. Vandy’s star shooting guard made his presence felt with his trademark sharpshooting from beyond the 3-point line. Jenkins scored 15 points and went 3-for-9 from 3-point range to help the Commodores reach Saturday’s SEC semifinals.

Unsung hero of the game: John Cannon. The little-used Georgia freshman came off the bench to actually lead the Bulldogs with six points at halftime. Cannon finished with the same total of six points, a career high.

What it means: Georgia’s rocky season -- and the careers of seniors Gerald Robinson, Dustin Ware, Connor Nolte and Matt Bucklin -- comes to a conclusion with a loss in the SEC quarterfinals for the third consecutive season. Vanderbilt moves into great position to reach Sunday’s SEC finals, as it will face Ole Miss -- which it defeated during the regular season -- in the semis.

Record performance: Ware notched both his 1,000th career point and his 400th career assist against Vanderbilt. That makes Ware one of just six Georgia players ever to reach both milestones.