Alondra Moya
Jason Edwards attempts a layup against Texas, as photographed on Feb.8, 2025. (Hustler Multimedia/Alondra Moya)
Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball (17-6, 5-5 SEC) defeated the Texas Longhorns (15-9, 4-7) 86-78 to bring themselves back to .500 in conference play. The win marked the third consecutive home win and ended a two-game slip in SEC play.
The first half was back and forth, with Jaylen Carey and Tyler Nickel comprising the majority of Vanderbilt’s output. Carey finished the first half with 10 points by bullying Texas in the paint, while Nickel produced 11 on 3-4 shooting from 3-point range. But the Longhorns finished the half on a 15-2 tear to go into the second half with a 39-35 lead.
The Commodores had a spark early in the second from AJ Hoggard to even things back up. Heroics from Jason Edwards and Carey reclaimed the lead for Vanderbilt, and the Commodores never looked back.
“It was a tough start,” head coach Mark Byington said. “Jaylen Carey came in and calmed us down.”
First half
Texas won the tip and put 2 points on the board after a scrappy first possession. The Longhorns stretched their lead to 7 before Chris Manon finally put the Commodores on the board with a layup. The New Jersey native fouled on the other end, and Texas went up 9-2 off two makes from the line. Nickel was fouled on a 3-point attempt the next possession and sank two shots. Carey staged a one-man comeback by scoring 4 consecutive points to cut Texas’ lead to 9-8.
Another bucket by Carey and a 3-point play by Devin McGlockton helped give Vanderbilt its first lead of the day. Carey’s dominance continued with four more back-to-back points, which put the Commodores up 17-12. The Commodores converted three consecutive 3-point attempts (MJ Collins, McGlockton, Nickel), and the Longhorns only scored 2 points in that time. A 3-pointer by Texas made it 26-20 Vanderbilt headed into a media timeout.
Grant Huffman was called for a controversial flagrant 1 foul after being fouled himself which gave Texas two shots and the ball. Huffman converted one, and Texas converted both before Nickel sank back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 33-24 Vanderbilt. The Longhorns went on a 12-0 run to take the lead back 36-33.
Jason Edwards ended Vanderbilt’s drought with his first points of the game, but Texas maintained a 36-35 lead. Texas made it 39-35 by the end of the half, thanks to a flurry of free throws.
Second half
Edwards drained a wide-open look from downtown to open the second half, and Manon added a finger roll layup to reclaim the lead for Vanderbilt 40-39. The teams traded 2-point baskets before a triple by Texas swung the lead back in the Longhorns’ favor. A 2-pointer by Edwards evened things up, but the Longhorns reclaimed the lead from the charity stripe. Back-to-back easy buckets for Texas handed them a 50-44 advantage going into a media timeout.
Four unanswered points extended Texas’ lead to 10 before Nickel made a jumper to shrink the lead back to single digits. Both teams put 2 more points on the board before a tough layup by Carey, and a triple from Nickel cut Texas’ lead to 56-53.
A Longhorn made a quick layup after a media timeout, but Hoggard answered on the other end with a 3-pointer. Texas’ Tre Johnson canceled out Hoggard’s effort with a triple of his own to make it 61-56 heading into another media timeout. Hoggard answered with a 5-point solo run to even things up at 61 apiece.
Back-to-back fouls by Manon sent the Longhorns to the line for four shots, of which they converted one. A triple by Texas was negated by an acrobatic 3-point play by Edwards. Another impressive aerial feat by Edwards gave Vanderbilt its first lead of the half. A tough layup through contact by Carey made it 68-65 Vanderbilt. Edwards then made a tough 3-pointer that sent Memorial Gymnasium into a frenzy. A putback tip by Carey made it 73-67 headed into a media timeout.
Hoggard converted a shifty layup before McGlockton committed his fifth foul of the game on the other end to set up two free-throw conversions by Texas. Hoggard put 2 more points on the board with a floater, stretching Vanderbilt’s lead to 77-69 with 1:45 left in the game.
The Commodores and Longhorns went back and forth for the next few possessions, and with 20.4 seconds left in the game, the score stood at 80-73 Commodores. Edwards got fouled off an inbound and converted both shots. The junior subbed out for Tanner and received a raucous ovation from home fans. Collins sank two more from the line to extend Vanderbilt’s lead to 84-75. Texas drained a vital 3-pointer, but Hoggard iced the game with two more free throws. The final score was 86-78.
The Commodores will host No. 1 Auburn for a primetime matchup at 6 p.m. CST on Feb. 11.