NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt competed on Tuesday night against Auburn, but just didn’t do enough.
The Commodores didn’t play their best by any means, but they battled back-and-forth with the visiting Tigers from start to finish. Auburn was just a bit better down the stretch and was able to come away with a sloppy 73-67 win at Memorial Gymnasium.
Vanderbilt (5-10 overall, 1-8 Southeastern Conference) shot 44% from the field, 36% from 3-point range and an abysmal 11 of 22 from the free throw line. Auburn was 36% from the floor, 37% from deep and 21 of 25 at the line. The two teams combined for 33 turnovers in a game that certainly wasn’t highlighted by either sides’ offense.
"Disappointing loss for us," Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse said. "I thought our offense fell just a little bit. Some things to work on. Wasn't our smartest outing."
Dylan Disu finished with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds for VU, while Jordan Wright scored 14 points and Scotty Pippen Jr. tallied 12 while fouling out.
Sharife Cooper and Jamal Johnson led Auburn (11-10, 5-7) with 19 points apiece.
Vanderbilt will look to bounce back Saturday on the road at Mississippi State. Tipoff is scheduled for Noon on the SEC Network.
The offensive struggles were on full display in the first half, as there had been just 22 total points scored at the midway point of the frame.
Vanderbilt jumped out to a 6-0 lead as Auburn missed its first three shots – all 3-pointers – and was soon up 12-4 at the 12:58 mark. The Commodores’ offense vanished from there while Auburn caught a spark – putting together a 12-0 run and holding VU scoreless for 5:20 to take a 16-12 lead at the 7:40 mark.
Wright’s triple evened the scoreboard at 20-20 with 2:47 remaining in the half, and Max Evans knocked one down with under a minute left on the clock to help Vanderbilt be up 25-23 at the break.
"It's not about Xs and Os right now – it's about effort," Wright said.
Clevon Brown scored inside to give the ‘Dores a 31-27 lead two minutes into the second half, but Auburn recorded back-to-back dunks to quickly tie it at the 17:22 mark.
Brown made a nice play inside the paint – planting a foot and making a couple spins before scoring over a Tigers’ defender – to put Vandy up 36-31, but it suffered another cold spell while Auburn went on a 7-0 run and took a 41-38 advantage with 11:58 remaining.
Johnson’s fifth 3 of the contest gave him 19 points and extended the Tigers’ lead to 46-40 with 8:50 left, and they were soon in front 51-45 after a Cooper jumper.
Leading 60-55, Jaylin Williams’ layup with 2:46 to go made it a 7-point Auburn advantage and sealed it.
"Just a tough go. We've just gotta be smarter," Stackhouse said. "We'll learn from it and try to get better for the next time out."
NOTES:
– Vanderbilt started Scotty Pippen Jr., Max Evans, Jordan Wright, Dylan Disu and Clevon Brown.
– Vanderbilt had every eligible player available except for Tyrin Lawrence, who’s out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
– Vanderbilt came into Tuesday’s game with a 5-1 record this season when leading or tied at halftime.
– Dylan Disu’s double-double was his fourth of the season and the ninth of his career.
– The game was played with only family members of coaches and student-athletes – from both Vanderbilt and the opposing team – in attendance, as has been the case all season with COVID-19 related restrictions enforced at Memorial Gymnasium. Of the people in attendance was former NBA star Scotty Pippen, the father of Scotty Pippen Jr.
– Tyler Mansfield covers Vanderbilt basketball for VandySports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @RivalsMansfield. –
