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No. 23 Vandy tops South Carolina in Nashville

Feb 5, 2011 - 10:06 PM Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - John Jenkins scored 18 points to help 23rd- ranked Vanderbilt post a 78-60 victory over South Carolina at Memorial Gym.

Jeffery Taylor and Festus Ezeli both tallied 17 points and eight rebounds for the Commodores (16-6, 4-4 SEC), who avoided a third straight loss. Brad Tinsley had 13 points and nine assists in the win.

"We certainly couldn't afford to lose today. Our guys played with a sense of urgency," said Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings.

Ramon Galloway totaled 16 points and Bruce Ellington added 13 for the Gamecocks (13-8, 4-4), who have dropped three of their last four games.

"I really think this game is pretty simple. It came down to Vanderbilt making tough shots and I credit them for knocking them down," said South Carolina head coach Darrin Horn.

The game was tight in the first half, as Vanderbilt and South Carolina traded buckets. Rod Odom nailed a three-pointer to give the Commodores a 30-23 halftime lead.

Leading by only four at 33-29, the Commodores orchestrated a 25-7 run over an eight-minute span to pull away. Taylor knocked down a trey to cap the surge with 10:26 to play.

Vanderbilt led by as many as 14 the rest of the way en route to avenging last month's overtime loss at South Carolina.

Game Notes

The Commodores shot 57.7 from the field in the second half and 50.9 percent for the game...Vanderbilt improved to 12-1 at home this season...Malik Cooke notched 12 points and seven rebounds for South Carolina...The Gamecocks made 41.8 percent of their shots.