Jalen Washington Plays Game of the Season, Helps Lead Vanderbilt to Victory Over Auburn – Sports Illustrated

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Vanderbilt center Jalen Washington made his way to the bench for a breather after dead ball stoppage. Moments before, Washington just came up with one of the clutch plays to help No. 19 Vanderbilt seal a 84-76 win on the road over Auburn.
On the previous play, Washington grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer from Tyler Nickel. Washington went right back up with the ball and laid it in the basket to put Vanderbilt up 70-62 with 3:40 to go in the game. Though it was not the dagger, Washington’s play was crucial and it was one of many plays he made throughout the night.
Washington played one of, if not, the best game of his collegiate career. Washington finished with a career-high 22 points on 7-for-8 shooting. It was the first time Washington had scored in double figures since Jan. 17 against Florida and just the second time scoring 20 or more this season.
His performance all started from the beginning of the game. Washington helped Vanderbilt stay in front early with two three-pointers that came off open looks. Whether it was a missed scouting report for Auburn or a missed in-game assignment, Washington made Auburn pay with his two shots from behind the arc.
“You could tell he had a bounce in his step,” Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington said. “Even a couple times when he had rebounds in his hands, he was changing areas to go get them. I just thought he was moving great. He understood the game plan. He got our offense rolling.”
Though Washington has only shot the ball at a 14 percent clip in SEC play, he has shown the capabilities at different times this season that he can still shoot threes. He may not be a shooter like Tyler Nickel, but Washington still possesses the skill to stretch the floor if need be.
Washington, along with Vanderbilt forward Devin McGlockton, put on a first half to remember as the two combined for 24 points on a combined 8-for-9 from the floor. Washington had 12 of those, hitting four of his five first half shots. 
In the second half, Washington expanded the damage he did to the glass. Washington was able to come up with four crucial rebounds down the stretch to help Vanderbilt close the game out, including the big offensive rebound and put back with under four minutes to go.
But Washington also had another rebound that led to the dagger in the game. With 2:09 left, Vanderbilt led 72-66 and Auburn had the ball. Washington grabbed a defensive rebound from a Tahaad Pettiford miss and pushed it up court to Tyler Tanner. Tanner drove it into the paint and found a wide open AK Okereke for a corner three to put the lead at nine points.
Washington’s late rebound ended up in a five point swing that went a long way to closing the game out.
The hard work Washington put into his performance today was a reflection of his character, as Byington would attest to. Washington is a player that, like all the guys on this team, puts his head down and goes to work. Tonight, the work Washington had been putting in practice paid off.
Washington likely did not care about his percentages, nor did he probably know that he made just six of his 24 three-pointer attempts heading into Tuesday night’s game. But one thing he has had all season is confidence in his shot. He knew what he was capable of and he showed it in a big road game.
“He’s such a good young man. He’s a people pleaser. He wants to make everybody happy. Our guys are ecstatic for him. I mean, he played really well,” Byington said of Washington’s character.
The question going forward is if Byington is able to get a little more consistency from Washington offensively, especially in the absences of Duke Miles and Frankie Collins. Washington may not need to score 20 or more consistently, but if Washington is able to get back to scoring in double figures more consistently like he was in nonconference play it would be a huge boost for Vanderbilt.
Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
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