• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Byers and Foster help Commodores take a bite out of Gators

Feb 17, 2007 - 11:23 PM NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Derrick Byers and Shan Foster did not let Florida off the hook this time.

Byers and Foster each scored 24 points and Vanderbilt played a complete game to post a convincing 83-70 victory over No. 1 Florida in a Southeastern Conference matchup.

Vanderbilt (18-8, 8-4 SEC East) had not defeated the nation's No. 1 team since topping Kentucky on January 13, 1993. The Commodores missed their first chance to knock off top-ranked Florida on January 31.

The Commodores raced out to a 41-30 lead at the break in the first meeting but the Gators came out a different team in the second half, going on a 13-0 run and cruising to a 74-64 victory.

This time Vanderbilt opened up a 35-27 lead at the half and did not let up.

Florida did try to make a game of it, going on a 7-0 run to close within 46-40 on a pair of free throws by Horford with 14:08 to play.

But that was as close as the Gators would get and the Commodores pulled away. Byars extended the lead to 76-61 on a dunk with 3:20 remaining.

The Commodores hit 10 3-pointers, five in each half, and shot 57 percent (32-of-56) from the field overall. Foster made five shots from the arc while Byers was 11-of-19 from the floor and added eight assists and five steals.

Florida (24-3, 11-1 East) missed its chance to set a school record for consecutive victories as its 17-game winning streak - the nation's longest - was snapped.

Joakim Noah scored 15 points and Al Horford and Corey Brewer added 13 each for the Gators, who also lost out on a chance to clinch at least a share of the Southeastern Conference's East Division and the overall league title.

Florida also had its seven-game win streak against Vanderbilt ended.