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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
ATLANTA (AP) -- A 3-point barrage by Dan Langhi and Rick Jones may have clinched an NCAA bid for the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Langhi scored 27 points and Jones hit eight 3-pointers for all
24 of his points as Vandy (No. 25 ESPN/USA Today) routed Mississippi State 76-53 in the
first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament Thursday.
The Commodores (19-9) had four quality victories during the
regular season, but they weren't taking any chances after losing in
the first round of the tournament the last two years.
Mississippi State (14-16) jumped to a 9-0 lead in the first
three minutes but Vandy was unstoppable the rest of the way. The
Commodores, who finished fourth in the powerful Eastern Division,
advanced to meet Western champion LSU in Friday's quarterfinals.
Langhi, the SEC's co-player of the year, hit 5-of-7 shots from
beyond the 3-point arc. But the biggest surprise was Jones, a
6-foot-1 freshman guard who was averaging only 5.3 points per game.
Vandy was leading 46-37 when Jones hit two straight 3s to ignite
an 11-0 run that gave the Commodores a 20-point advantage. Jones
hit another trey with 8:39 remaining to spark a 9-0 spurt, pushing
Vandy to a 69-44 lead. The freshman took all nine of his shots from
outside the arc and missed only one.
Mississippi State went 7:23 without a field goal in the second
half while the Commodores pulled away. The Bulldogs shot only 37
percent (20-of-54) from the field and couldn't duplicate their
regular-season performance against Vandy, which struggled for a
65-64 victory at home.
A year ago, Mississippi State routed the Commodores 76-58 on the
first day of the SEC tournament.
Langhi and Jones were a two-man show for the Commodores, who hit
14-of-24 from 3-point range. None of their teammates scored more
than eight points.
Tang Hamilton scored 14 points to lead the Bulldogs.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Mississippi State Clubhouse
Vanderbilt Clubhouse
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