Scotty Pippen Jr. struggles, Vanderbilt basketball collapses vs Florida in second half of loss

Aria Gerson, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read
Jan 22, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Scotty Pippen Jr. (2) drives to the basket during the first half against the Florida Gators at Billy Donovan Court at Exactech Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 22, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Scotty Pippen Jr. (2) drives to the basket during the first half against the Florida Gators at Billy Donovan Court at Exactech Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
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Vanderbilt basketball treaded water at Florida on Saturday in the first half with Scotty Pippen Jr. in foul trouble.

But the Commodores had a chance to pounce as the second half opened.

Instead, it was Florida that built up an insurmountable lead. Pippen played so poorly that by the end of the game, Gators fans were mockingly chanting Pippen's name as he shot free throws.

Vanderbilt (10-8, 2-4 SEC) closed out the game without a field goal for nearly 11 minutes and missed 10 straight shots, with just 14 points and three made field goals the entire second half as Florida (12-6, 3-3 won 61-42 at the O'Connell Center.

Poor play from Pippen

Pippen played just five minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. Without him, the team managed to stay within three at halftime. When he came back in the second half, the Commodores immediately gave up a 12-0 run.

Vanderbilt couldn't get closer after that. Pippen had six points on 1-for-10 shooting and was just 3-for-6 from the line. It was the second game this season in which Pippen did not make a two-point shot. In his 21 minutes, Pippen was minus-16.

Transition nightmare

The Commodores don't typically turn the ball over a lot and while they didn't have a ton of turnovers Saturday, Florida took full advantage of every takeaway, scoring 23 points off 12 turnovers. Vanderbilt is typically strong at forcing takeaways but forced just eight from the Gators.

Vanderbilt's biggest strength over the Gators, drawing fouls, worked somewhat but the Commodores had a poor day from the free-throw line. Though normally an average team from the line, Vanderbilt made just 12 of its 23 free throws — still just one fewer free throw than its number of made shots.

Florida attempted 36 3-pointers and while the Gators did not make them at a high clip, they still made nine triples due to the high volume of attempts that seemed to consistently prove daggers.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt basketball falls to Florida; Scotty Pippen Jr struggles