Vanderbilt Edges St. Louis for NIT Title
Vanderbilt won its first postseason basketball tournament as Derrick Wilcox scored all of his 16 points in the second half of a 74-72 victory over St. Louis Wednesday in the final of the National Invitation Tournament.
The Commodores (21-14), also making their first appearance in a national tournament final, built a 17-point lead midway through the second half before the Billikens (21-12) rallied.
St. Louis, making its second consecutive appearance in the tournament it won in 1948, got within two points on four occasions in the final minutes, including 71-69 on a three-point shot by Anthony Bonner with 33 seconds left.
Freshman Kevin Anglin hit two free throws with 15 seconds left for a four-point lead, and a backcourt violation by St. Louis sealed the outcome. After a free throw by Wilcox, Jeff Gaona’s three-pointer at the buzzer for St. Louis made the final margin two points.
Bonner, who averaged 20.4 points and 15 rebounds in the tournament, finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Charles Newberry scored 18 points.
Tournament MVP Scott Draud scored 15 points and Morgan Wheat 13 for the Commodores.
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