Cincinnati ruins VUs perfect start
NASHVILLE – Cincinnati jumped out to an early 8-0 lead and never relinquished that lead, knocking Vanderbilt from the ranks of the undefeated and snapping a two-game losing streak of their own with a 93-83 win Saturday evening.
"To win a game like this, you have to dictate," said Vandy's Kevin Stallings afterwards. "We never got in the position to dictate."
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One concern for the Commodores was the ability to keep the athletic Bearcats off the glass. Vandy did just that, winning the rebound battle by a 43-32 margin, including 14 by Julian Terrell.
Instead, the Commodores sprung leaks in other places. Seventeen VU turnovers led to 26 Cincinnati points, and Vandy allowed a whopping 46 points in the paint.
A late Vandy run cut a double-digit deficit to 49-41 at the half. But Cincinnati built a 17-point lead midway through the second half and the Commodores were never able to get closer that the final margin of eight again.
James White and Devan Downey led Cincinnati with 18 points respectively. Sixteen of White's points were in the first half.
Derrick Byars led the Commodores with 25, including five-of-six from behind the three-point arc. Terrell (11), DeMarre Carroll (16), and Alex Gordon (15) joined Byars as double-digit scorers.
Vanderbilt has a week off before facing Alabama A&M in Nashville on December 17.