NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — John Jenkins scored 22 of his career-high 25 points in the second half, and No. 20 Vanderbilt held off Georgia 78-66 Friday night in the Southeastern Conference quarterfinals.
The Commodores (24-7) came in with only their third first-round bye since the SEC went to divisional play in 1992 as the East’s No. 2 seed, and they managed to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2004 and just the second time in coach Kevin Stallings’ 11 seasons.
A program that has only one SEC tournament title back in 1951 will play Mississippi State, the West’s No. 1 seed, on Saturday.
Jenkins hit 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Jermaine Beal also had 16 points and A.J. Ogilvy had 10 points.
Georgia (14-17) couldn’t recreate the magic of 2008 with four wins in four days. Travis Leslie had a career-high 34 points, and Trey Thompkins had 13, all in the second half.