As Murray State senior Danero Thomas sank the biggest shot of his life — a game-winner at the buzzer in the NCAA Tournament — he dually sank a Commodore squad that had been treading water for quite some time.
Thomas’s heroics led the Racers (31-4, 17-1 Ohio Valley Conference) to arguably their biggest win in school history, as they prevailed over favored, fourth-seeded Vanderbilt (24-9, 12-4 Southeastern Conference) with a final score of 66-65. Veteran guards Isaac Miles (17 points, six rebounds) and B.J. Jenkins (14 points, five assists, four rebounds) helped Murray State stay in the game amidst a furious Vanderbilt comeback, allowing Thomas to become a hero in this one.
“We congratulate Murray State,” said Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings. “They played a very good game, and I thought going down the stretch both teams made a lot of winning plays.
“They made one more than we did.”
The Commodores did themselves no favors throughout the majority of the first half, relinquishing an early six-point lead with sloppy ball-handling, ill-advised shot attempts and shoddy defense paralyzing a normally steady Vanderbilt attack. Murray State took their first lead at 24-21 on a B.J. Jenkins 3-pointer with nine minutes left in the opening period, and the Racers sprinted into halftime holding a four-point advantage.
“I think the things that plagued our team all season long showed up today, unfortunately,” Stallings said. “Our guys fought hard, they competed hard, and … it just wasn’t enough today.”
Indeed, Vanderbilt battled back when facing an imposing deficit, taking an eight-point hole with 17 minutes to play and tying the game at 52 with 7:35 left on two free throws by sophomore guard Brad Tinsley. Freshman guard John Jenkins gave Vanderbilt their first lead in 22 minutes of game time, sinking a three with 4:45 remaining that tilted the score in the Commodores’ favor 58-56. The nationally renowned sharpshooter nailed another jumper from the top of the key on their next trip down, making the score 60-56 as Vanderbilt appeared to take the wind out of the Racers’ sails.
However, two consecutive threes for Murray State by Isaiah Canaan and B.J. Jenkins gave the Racers a 62-60 lead with under two minutes to play. Even so, senior Jermaine Beal would not go down without a fight in his last game in a Vanderbilt uniform, sinking two free throws with 12 seconds remaining to give the Commodores a 65-64 lead.
That’s when Thomas took over. Shooting over Commodore forwards Andre Walker and Lance Goulbourne, he sent Murray State to the second round of the NCAA Tournament’s West Region and cemented his place in college basketball history.
“You know, the kid just made a good shot … and I wish we could have been there to contest it a little bit better,” Stallings said. “But really, the game could have been over had we gotten that loose ball (on the previous possession). Our inability to come up with that rebound (is) now a glaring thing.
“We needed one more stop, and we didn’t get it.”