OXFORD — The avalanche of offense started with Jeffery Taylor’s first layup and ended on Kyle Fuller’s free throw. In between was a performance by the Vanderbilt University men’s basketball team that was so dominant coach Kevin Stallings couldn’t help feel a little sorry for the University of Mississippi.
“I felt sympathy for them because things were going so well,” Stallings said.
But he’ll certainly take the win. And Vanderbilt’s 102-76 road victory over Ole Miss on Thursday night was as impressive as they come.
Taylor scored 28 points — including 23 in the first half — and John Jenkins added 26 as the Commodores rebounded from an emotional loss to No. 1 Kentucky. It was the first time the Commodores have topped 100 points since 2006.
Vanderbilt (18-8, 7-4 Southeastern Conference) put the Rebels away early with a blazing first half that featured 70.8 percent shooting from the field (17 of 24), including 83.3 percent (10 of 12) from 3-point range, on the way to a 53-28 halftime lead.
“It was ridiculous,” Taylor said. “But everyone got on a roll. When we get on a roll we’re hard to defend.”
Taylor’s first half was nearly perfect. The 6-foot-7 senior made 8 of 10 shots, including his first seven. He fell two points short of tying a career high.
It was embarrassing game for Ole Miss (15-10, 5-6), which received three technical fouls, including one after the fans threw ice on the floor for a second time.
Jarvis Summers led the Rebels with 14 points. Murphy Holloway added 13.
Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy and senior Terrance Henry both had technical fouls by the end of the night. After the game, teammates Reginald Buckner and Jelan Kendrick had to be separated by the coaching staff after an argument.
It was the most fight the Rebels showed all night.
“When you played like we played there’s a lot of frustration to go around,” Kennedy said. “I’m sure some of that got misguided.”
Kennedy didn’t say if there would be any discipline for Kendrick or Buckner going forward.
Taylor scored on a driving lay-up to give the Commodores a 2-0 lead and kept on hitting shots. He made four 3-pointers, three regular buckets and a free throw before finally missing — on a free throw — with 5:33 remaining in the first half.
Ole Miss managed to hang with Vanderbilt’s frantic scoring pace for a while, pulling within 22-21 on a Demarco Cox dunk with 11:42 remaining in the first half. But the Commodores ended the half on a 31-7 run thanks to their stunning shooting display.
Vanderbilt cooled off in the second half, but by then the game was decided. The Commodores finished with a 62.5 percent (30 of 48) shooting percentage from the floor, including 63.2 percent (12 of 19) from behind the 3-point line.
Festus Ezeli added 13 points and four blocked shots.
“I never sensed this,” Stallings said. “We caught them on a great night. We just got off to a good start and it snowballed from there.”
The game couldn’t end soon enough for the Rebels, who shot 40.3 percent (29 of 72) from the field.
Vanderbilt and Ole Miss came into the game mired in the middle of a jumbled SEC pack and seeking more clout for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.
The Commodores already had the stronger case and did nothing to diminish that standing. The Rebels — on the other hand — looked totally outclassed and now have a date against No. 1 Kentucky on Saturday.
“I didn’t anticipate that whipping we just took,” Kennedy said. “But we’ve always talked about these swings. The reality is we’ve got to get on a plane tomorrow, fly to Lexington and go play the No. 1 team in the nation. We’ve got to quickly put this behind us as best we can.”
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