Jontay Porter’s career night lifts MU over Vandy in crucial SEC contest
BRANSON MO NEWS: NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Cuonzo Martin clapped and jogged to midcourt after Jontay Porter’s jam, a two-handed hammer that capped off the freshman’s career night.The dunk signaled victory, and Martin knew exactly that. He also knew a win was needed as far as a possible NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 2013 goes. His team grabbed one in impressive fashion.Missouri beat Vanderbilt 74-66 on the Commodores’ senior night. Porter finished with a career-high 24 points on 9-of-10 shooting. He also recorded seven rebounds and six assists.
“That was pretty refreshing,” Porter said postgame. “It was a great win for us.”Smiles showed on the faces of many after Missouri’s win. The victory marked the first time MU (19-11, 9-8 SEC) had ever defeated Vanderbilt (11-19, 5-12) at Memorial Gymnasium. It also broke the Tigers’ three-game losing streak.“It’s not easy to drop three,” Martin said postgame. “It says something about you as a team (to come back and get the win).”Needing a spark in the second half after trailing 32-30 at halftime, Missouri turned to Porter, who showed every strength in his arsenal.He skied for rebounds. He drilled 3-pointers. He dished out of double teams in situations like this one.Porter received the ball in the post with 12 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the contest. When the Vanderbilt double-team arrived, Porter thrived, bouncing the ball toward the middle. There, junior forward Kevin Puryear picked up the pass and finished the left-handed layup.At the time, Missouri led Vanderbilt 44-40.A couple of possessions later, Porter received a post feed from senior guard Kassius Robertson on the left side.He turned. He faced. He buried a midrange jumper.“If he’s open, we’re going to throw it to him every single time,” senior forward Jordan …
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