The Tech Men’s Basketball team had the unique opportunity to play an in-state, non-conference game against an SEC opponent on Friday, Nov. 29, as they took on the Vanderbilt Commodores.
The final score was 87-56 in favor of the Commodores as they outscored the Golden Eagles 48-26 in the second half alone.
The first half was competitive, however, as the Golden Eagle defense was causing problems for Vanderbilt and the shots were falling on the offensive end.
Sophomore guard Kyle Layton (2) showed off his scoring ability in the first half scoring nine points in the first 30 minutes alone.
Despite the valiant Tech efforts, Vanderbilt had an advantage over Tech in the boards as they collected 48 rebounds to Tech’s 35.
Vanderbilt was also able to work the ball inside and dominated the paint on both ends of the floor. This resulted in an impressive 36 points in the paint for Vandy compared to just 20 for Tech.
Another factor of the game that hurt the Golden Eagles defensively was Vandy’s 46.5% shooting compared to Tech’s 31.3%.
Aside from junior center David Craig (34) standing at 7’2, the Golden Eagles were at an obvious size disadvantage. Craig was able to check in the game and collect six points to go along with six rebounds.
Senior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. (5) ended up leading scoring with 11 points in the contest.
Although the score was not in Tech’s favor on Friday, this game was good for the long-term betterment of the team. It was a similar situation to the season opener in Athens against Georgia in which the Golden Eagles took the Bulldogs down to the wire before ultimately falling 83-78.
If you’re Tech, you want to play these more equipped teams early in the season before conference play, so that you are more prepared for adversity later on.
The Golden Eagles currently sit at an even .500 at 4-4 overall on the year. They will travel to North Alabama on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 6:00 p.m.
Conference play will open up for Tech on the road at Western Illinois on Dec. 17.
