NASHVILLE — Magic struck Memorial Gymnasium for the second time in a week’s span on Saturday as Vanderbilt took down No. 9 Kentucky 74-69 for another marquee victory vs. a top-10 team. The Commodores (16-4, 4-3 SEC) used a 16-5 turnover edge to wear down a Kentucky team that roared back from a 14-point halftime deficit before wilting down the stretch.
Just a week after scoring 18 points to lead Vandy to a win over No. 6 Tennessee, point guard Jason Edwards followed up with a team-high 18 once again. The last time Vanderbilt beat two top-10 teams in the same season was 2006-07, when it beat No. 10 Alabama and No. 1 Florida in league play.
The Commodores built a commanding edge by forcing eight Kentucky turnovers in the final 9:26 of the first half. Meanwhile, Vandy didn’t commit its first turnover until the 5:35 mark of the first half, as it used a 9-2 edge in points off turnovers to propel itself to a 41-27 halftime edge.
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Kentucky began the second half on a tear, however, as the Wildcats (14-5, 3-3) outscored Vanderbilt 27-10 over a span of more than 11 minutes. But a shorthanded UK team ran out of gas from there. Playing without injured star forward Andrew Carr for the first time this season, the Wildcats looked rudderless at times offensively.
Fifth-year point guard Lamont Butler tied a career-high with six turnovers, and UK failed to score over the game’s final 2:56 as the Wildcats suffered back-to-back losses for the first time under first-year coach Mark Pope.
This story will be updated
