NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt took a big step up in its level of competition category Wednesday and came out on the wrong end as a result.
After blowing out Mississippi Valley State with a dominating 84-41 win Sunday, the Commodores hosted a veteran-led Richmond team three days later for a matinee matchup at Memorial Gymnasium and suffered a 78-67 loss — their first of the season.
Vanderbilt — now 2-1 overall — dug itself into a 20-5 hole just over seven minutes into the contest, trailed 45-21 at halftime and couldn’t mount a comeback in the second half.
The Commodores struggled offensively, shooting 24-of-60 (40%) from the field and 6-of-22 (27%) from 3-point range. The Spiders (5-1) shot 30-of-51 (59%) from the floor and 6-of-15 (40%) from beyond the arc.
Scotty Pippen, Jr. led Vandy — which returns to action at 7 p.m. Saturday vs. Radford at Memorial Gymnasium — with a game-high 25 points. Jordan Wright scored 17 points, and Trey Thomas finished with 15.
First half struggles
Vanderbilt’s performance in the first half Wednesday is one it won’t have fond memories of.
The Commodores shot just 6-of-23 (20%) from the field, 2-of-10 (20%) from 3 and only scored 21 points in the first 20 minutes against Richmond.
They improved a bit in the second half — shooting 18-of-37 (49%) from the floor and 4-of-12 (33%) from deep and put up 46 points to Richmond’s 33 — but it wasn’t enough to overcome the first half struggles.
"Just battling in the second half we came back, but against a good team like that going down that much early, it's kind of hard to come back and get a win," Pippen, Jr. said. "There's a lot to learn from. It's a lot of these dudes' first time playing against an older, mature team."
Playing a team like Richmond only helps
Richmond is a really, really good basketball team — that’s the bottom line.
The Spiders are a legit Top 25 squad, and rightfully so. They are veteran-led, play so well together, run beautiful offensive sets, work the ball around until they have the best possible chance to score and can light it up from beyond the arc. They play so well offensively that it makes it hard for other team to get into an offensive flow of its own.
For Vanderbilt, playing a team like Richmond only allows it to see the areas in which it’s struggling, and should help them improve moving forward in the season.
"This was a really good game for us against a really good team, an experienced team," Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse said. "It allowed us to go back to the drawing board a little bit. I think we win this game — especially with the pieces that we have out. This a great opportunity to go back and coach and let our guys know that we've gotta continue to go at it and have the same approach.
"I feel good about where we are."
Pippen, Jr.’s second half performance is the way he needs to play all game, every game
Scotty Pippen, Jr. had a rough first half against Richmond, scoring just 4 points on 1-of-8 shooting and committing a turnover.
He turned things up — and in a big way — in the second half.
Pippen, Jr. came alive in the second 20-minute frame, scoring 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting to finish with 25 points on the day. He was way more aggressive in the half, getting his teammates involved and consistently leading the Commodores down the court.
"Just staying aggressive," Pippen, Jr. said when asked what changed for him in the second half. "In the first half — even all game — my shots weren't really falling, but I just knew I had to stay aggressive and keep my team in it."
If he plays like he did in the second half all game, every game, Vanderbilt’s chances for winning mightily improves.
NOTES:
— Jerry Stackhouse said postgame that he would miss Saturday's game vs. Radford to attend the funeral of his father.
— Stackhouse also said postgame that players Clevon Brown, DJ Harvey and Myles Stute "probably won't be back for Saturday." They've missed the past two games vs. Mississippi Valley State and Richmond due to health-related issues, not injuries.
