February is off to a great start for Vanderbilt Athletics. From men’s basketball stunning Commodore Nation with a buzzer beater to women’s tennis remaining undefeated, take a look at some of our favorite shots we captured over these past two weeks.
Men’s basketball
The 101-44 loss against No. 5 Alabama was one of the hardest losses in Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball history. However, the team made a return with a home win against Ole Miss. With a score of 74-71, the Commodores upset the Rebels at Memorial.
One of the men’s basketball team’s greatest games of the season was on Feb. 8 when they upset No. 6 Tennessee. With just under five seconds left on the clock, the ‘Dores needed three points to win the game. As the seconds counted down, the fans at Memorial held their breath. Just before the final buzzer sounded, Tyrin Lawrence shot a three-pointer, resulting in the ‘Dores’ win 86-85. The crowd went wild as the student section stormed the court to celebrate the victory with the team.
“It felt great,” Lawrence said after the buzzer-beater. “That’s stuff we dream about as kids — in the backyard, counting down from 3, 2, 1. Glad I was able to hit a game-winner; it’s something I’ll never forget.”
Women’s Basketball
On Jan. 29, the women’s basketball team faced Texas A&M and celebrated their first SEC win of the season. Ciaja Harbison performed at an all-time high, scoring 41.
“I’m excited about my performance, but I’m more excited about the win that my team put out today together,” Harbison said. “Today was a result of the hard work that we’ve been putting in since the beginning of the year.”
The women’s team returned to Memorial on Feb. 5 and faced a tough game against the Georgia Bulldogs with a 79-61 home loss. This game followed the team’s first SEC win of the season.
“I think that we need to be really intentional about how we hold each other accountable,” head coach Shea Ralph said after the game. “There needs to be direct conversation about how we can change to be better.”
After suffering an away loss against Arkansas a few weeks ago, the Commodores were on the edge of their seat for the home game against Arkansas on Feb. 9. Scoring 78-70, the women’s team earned their second win of the season.
Next, the team will travel to Knoxville on Sunday, Feb. 12 to battle UTK.
Women’s Tennis
Women’s tennis earned a huge win recently, securing their spot in the ITA National Indoor Championship. On Feb. 3, the team had their home opener, defeating Louisville.
“Overall, really happy with the team’s performance today against Louisville in our first home match of the spring. I thought we competed really well in both doubles and singles,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said after the game.
Men’s Tennis
At the ITA Kickoff in Los Angeles, the men’s team faced losses to USC and Memphis. Back in Nashville, the team faced another blow from Princeton by 4-2. However, the Commodores came back strong the next day against Tennessee State, winning 6-0.
The ‘Dores will play their next home game on Feb. 12 at noon against Rice.
