Vanderbilt Commodores vs Florida Gators Match Player Stats On Mar 11, 2021

Tre Mann finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists to help Florida shake off upset-minded Vanderbilt and advance to the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament with a 69-63 victory on Thursday afternoon in Nashville.

The Gators (14-8) -- the tournament's No. 5 seed -- swept their three meetings this season with the 12th-seeded Commodores (9-16), who were led by Scotty Pippen Jr.'s 23 points, including 10-for-10 shooting from the free throw line. It was also the Gators' first win when scoring under 70 points this season.

Florida plays No. 4 seed Tennessee (17-7) in the quarterfinals on Friday afternoon. The teams split during the regular season with the Volunteers winning the most recent matchup last Sunday, 65-54, in Knoxville.

Mann shot 7-for-12 from the field and came up with the key plays down the stretch to secure the victory for the Gators, who snapped a two-game skid.

Mann's jumper with 53 seconds left gave Florida a 66-63 lead. Vanderbilt's Trey Thomas, who finished with 12 points, had an open look at the other end for a tie, but missed a 3-pointer with 31 seconds to go. Mann was fouled and hit one of two free throws to help put the game away.

The Gators used a 12-2 run over the final 5:30 of the first half, capped by a pair of triples by Noah Locke, to open up a 34-22 lead at the break. Locke scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half.

But the typically sharp-shooting Commodores, who entered the game averaging 9.3 made 3-pointers per game, hit a pair of threes quickly to open the second half. Vanderbilt took a 55-54 lead with 8:39 left in the second half on an 11-0 run powered by three triples by Thomas.

Vanderbilt matched their season average of 3-pointers madel, but shot only 29 percent from beyond the arc (9-of-31).

Pippen Jr., who averaged 25 points during the first two games against the Gators, shot 6-of-19 from the field and made only 1-of-7 three-point attempts.

Tyree Appleby chipped in 12 points and four assists off the Gators bench. D.J. Harvey totaled 12 points and five rebounds for the Commodores.

--Field Level Media