The Vanderbilt Commodores (8-21, 3-13) were unable to capture their fourth SEC win of the season on Saturday. In a game that marked the return of Jordan Wright to Nashville, the Vanderbilt alumnus catapulted LSU (16-13, 8-8) to a 75-61 win over Vanderbilt behind 15 points and 7 rebounds.
“I’m happy for Jordan [Wright],” head coach Jerry Stackhouse said. “He had an opportunity to go to his dream school [and] to go to LSU…I think he has the talent to play at the next level.”
The Commodores started Ezra Manjon, Tyrin Lawrence, Jordan Williams, Evan Taylor and Ven-Allen Lubin. Lawrence — the senior guard — led Vanderbilt in scoring with 21 points.
“His [Lawrence] ability to get downhill is a plus for us,” Stackhouse said. “We just didn’t get enough with the supporting cast to give ourselves a chance to win tonight.”
Wright scored the first basket of the game thanks to a putback layup off of a missed shot from Will Baker. With less than two minutes elapsed, LSU had a commanding 7-0 lead after Derek Fountain made a 3-pointer and Tyrell Ward made a layup.
Vanderbilt got on the board right after when Evan Taylor made a shot from mid-range to put Vanderbilt down 7-2. The Commodores and Tigers each scored three more points as Vanderbilt entered the first media timeout down by five.
LSU challenged Vanderbilt defensively as the Commodores got off to a dreadful start from the field. With eight minutes elapsed, Vanderbilt was 4-of-13 from the field and 0-of-5 from deep. LSU was ahead of Vanderbilt 16-9 at the second media timeout.
The Tigers kept their foot on the gas and continued to shoot at an excellent rate from the field. Leading Vanderbilt 24-13 with just over seven minutes remaining, Baker extended LSU’s lead to 14 when he nailed in a 3-pointer. On the ensuing possession, Isaiah West made two shots from the charity stripe.
Wright punched deeper into Vanderbilt’s deficit right after when he converted on an and-one opportunity. All energy was evaporated from Memorial Gymnasium soon after when Evan Taylor airballed a 3-pointer when Vanderbilt was down 30-15. Before the final media timeout of the first half, the Tigers scored a 3-ball and a free throw while Manjon scored two free throws.
With 1:21 remaining in the first half, Lubin dunked the ball to put Vanderbilt down to LSU 39-20. Lubin’s dunk marked the first Vanderbilt field goal in over eight minutes. The Commodores went into halftime down 42-22. In the first half, LSU went 14-of-25 (56.0%) from the field and Vanderbilt went 8-of-27 (29.6%) from the field.
Vanderbilt got off to a blazing start in the second half, going 5-of-7 from the field in the first five minutes of play after the break. The Commodores were down 13 points to the Tigers but a 3-pointer from Jalen Reed gave LSU a 52-36 cushion soon after.
When the Commodores trailed LSU 54-37 with just over 12 minutes remaining, Lubin briefly ignited the Vanderbilt fans at Memorial Gymnasium when he had an and-one layup. Lubin converted at the free-throw line to put Vanderbilt down 14.
A few minutes later with nearly nine minutes remaining, JQ Roberts misfired on a shot from deep that would have put Vanderbilt down nine points. The Commodores went scoreless on the possession and Wright then converted on two free throws to put LSU up 58-44 before the penultimate media timeout.
LSU’s comfortable lead was threatened nearly three minutes later when a 3-pointer from Lawrence was followed by two made free throws from Malik Presley. LSU was up 62-52. The Tigers would disallow Vanderbilt to get any closer though as the Tigers went on an 11-4 run after Presley’s free throws.
Leading Vanderbilt 73-56 with two minutes remaining, LSU was in the driver’s seat. The Commodores were ultimately bested by the Tigers 75-61. Vanderbilt outscored LSU in the second half 39-33.
The Commodores will return to action with a road matchup against the No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats on March 6 at 8 p.m. CST. When the two SEC teams met on Feb. 6, the Wildcats beat Vanderbilt by 32 points.
