Three Vanderbilt basketball Taylors — Tanner, Harris and Nick — took turns to tie the game against Florida State on Jan. 17 to give the Commodores the lead.
One of them did that nine times in Vanderbilt’s 98-94 loss to the Gators.
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But the No. 20 Gators (13-5, 4-1 SEC) made the final push, going on a 6-0 run in the final 45 seconds to take a 6-0 lead over the No. 8 Commodores (16-2, 3-2). The host Commodores suffered their second consecutive defeat and second loss of the season after a 16-0 start.
Nickell helped the Commodores take the lead twice and tied the game twice before finishing with 14 points, but it was a disappointment.
“If it was an effort or something like that, that would be one thing and we could point that out,” Nickell said. “We didn’t play perfect, but I don’t think they were better than us. So it was really frustrating.”
To avoid a third straight loss, the Commodores must defeat No. 17 Arkansas on Jan. 20 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Vanderbilt lost to Texas 80-64 on Jan. 14.
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What Tyler Tanner had to say about missing the game-tying goal
Tanner twice helped the Commodores take the lead and finished with a team-high 20 points and five assists, but he missed the final opportunity.
With seven seconds left, he bounced the ball off the backboard, but it didn’t go into the basket and a Florida defender appeared to be dangling from his jersey.
That’s the plan.
“Throughout the game, the referees called some fouls in the zone,” Tanner said. “(Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington) said try to get in there … and foul.
“And I ended up missing out.”
Byington said he wouldn’t want the ball to fall into anyone else’s hands in the same situation.
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The highlight of the game was Tanner’s layup with 1:39 left in the first half to give the Commodores a 41-40 lead and complete a comeback from an 11-point deficit (a season high).
“I have enough evidence to believe Taylor Tanner,” Byington said. “I’ll put the ball in his hands again next time.”
Mark Byington on Vanderbilt’s loss to Florida
Byrington also got contributions from Harris, who hit two free throws to tie the game at 90 with 2:46 left, while Jalen Washington scored 14 points to give Vanderbilt its fourth lead.
Not to mention AK Okereke, whose 15 points was more than double his season average.
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“This is a high-level game,” Byington said. “I want to win. Our guys want to win desperately.
“It’s also Jan. 17… Sometimes games like this, we’re going to be able to figure out some things about how to improve, especially on film. … You want to be the best you can be in March. This kind of game shows you something. It shows that we’re there. It’s frustrating that we’re there but we’re not done yet.”
Paul Skrbina is a sports-enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sporting events for The Tennessean. Contact him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Paulskebina.
This article originally appeared in Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt basketball star Taylor Tanner ties game against Florida State
