The No. 10 Vanderbilt Commodores held on to defeat the No. 7 Arkansas Razorbacks, 75-72, in the first round of the 2013 SEC Tournament on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
The Commodores led by as many as 15 points in the second half, but Arkansas climbed to within two points with less than a minute remaining as Vanderbilt struggled to hit shots. After taking a 61-46 advantage at the 9:54 mark following Shelby Moats' layup, the Commodores made just two field goals the rest of the way while missing six free throws.
Fortunately for Vanderbilt, Arkansas failed to fully capitalize. Marshawn Powell missed a potential game-tying layup with 32 seconds left, and BJ Young clanked a pair of key free throws off the iron seconds later.
Rod Odom finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and four blocks for Vanderbilt, which will meet the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats in the quarterfinals on Friday.
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