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No. 22 Vanderbilt (3-0) took to the hardwood to face off against Memphis (2-0) in an in-state non-conference matchup. Dubbed the “I-40 Showdown,” the Commodores defeated the Tigers, 105-81, in a high-scoring, fast-paced, foul-laden affair.
Ace Glass led the ’Dores in scoring with 23 points (8-for-14 from the field, 5-for-10 from deep), while Luke Almodovar was the top performer for Memphis after a 21-point performance in just 24 minutes. Berke Buyuktuncel had his breakout game for the Black and Gold with 16 points and 8 rebounds, and Tyler Tanner didn’t surprise anyone with an efficient 17-point outing. Reigning AP men’s basketball player of the week Jayden Reid struggled against Vanderbilt’s defense, putting up just 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting.
The Commodores as a team shot 57.1% from the field and 46.9% from 3-point range, as the offense worked like a well-oiled machine. While they only forced the Tigers to turn the ball over five times, they held them to just 42.9% shooting from the field and 21.1% shooting from beyond the arc.
Head coach Mark Byington rolled out the same lineup that he had for the first two games, with Tanner, Glass, Chandler Bing, Sebastian Williams-Adams and Buyuktuncel getting the nod. Memphis, with former NBA star Penny Hardaway in the coaching seat, sent out a five-man unit of Reid, Almodovar, Tylik Weeks, Rihards Vavers and Maxim Logue.
Memorial Gymnasium was rocking and ready for a heavyweight bout between the two undefeated squads, with Vanderbilt coming off a dominant win over Wake Forest and Memphis having just downed both Iowa State and VCU.
First half
The Tigers won the tip and immediately got on the board with a dunk from Logue. Glass tried to answer back with a short jumper, but it rimmed out, and Weeks doubled Memphis’ lead. Tanner missed his first shot attempt of the game from beyond the arc, but Vanderbilt was fortunate enough to regain possession after Reid turned it over. Buyuktuncel got the ’Dores going with a turnaround jump shot in the paint before Almodovar responded with a swipe and score.
Buyuktuncel riled up the crowd with a big 3-pointer from the corner, and Williams-Adams followed it up with another hit from the apparent hot spot. Tanner got himself on the board with his signature “pick six” after a dunk off a steal, and Josh Holloway — who had just subbed in for an injured Reid — got back with a quick jumper. At the first media timeout of the game, Vanderbilt led 10-8 with 15:12 on the clock.
Memphis came out of the timeout with a pair of free throws from Vavers before Tanner posterized Corneilous Williams with a sweet jam. Reid, back in the game, hit paydirt on a 3-point shot, and Ant Brown Jr. continued the scoring with a couple of shots from the foul stripe. Bangot Dak drained his first shot from deep in the same corner that Williams-Adams and Buyuktuncel hit theirs. Reid got into the paint for an easy layup following a turnover from Brown, setting the score at 19-15 in favor of the Commodores with 11:50 left to play.
The Tigers once again got an easy bucket after the timeout with a layup from Brandin Cummings. T.O. Barrett knocked down a triple from — you guessed it — the same corner, once again. Cummings hit a jumper, followed by a series of missed shots from Glass and Reid, the latter of which was blocked by Buyuktuncel and sent to Dak for a thunderous fast-break slam.
Dak fouled Weeks on the next possession, and Weeks hit both shots from the line. Almodovar got to the basket with ease for a layup before Logue sent Buyuktuncel to the stripe, where he hit two of two. Williams-Adams was fouled on a dunk attempt that came up way short, but he made just one of his free throws.
The foul game continued with a pair of shots from Weeks before Logue made a layup to tie the game. Buyuktuncel hit his second 3-pointer of the game off an assist from Bing, and Weeks and Barrett traded layups. Cummings nailed a smooth mid-range jumper, but Tanner one-upped him with a pull-up jump shot from beyond the arc. Williams-Adams, much to the delight of the crowd, cashed in on his second deep shot to push Vanderbilt’s lead to 38-31 with 4:54 remaining in the half.
Brown got the ’Dores’ scoring going out of the break with a pair of free throws, and Almodovar nearly matched it but missed one of his attempts. The game quickly went to another media timeout with 3:42 on the clock, and the score in favor of the Black and Gold at 40-32.
Almodovar got sent to the line again, this time converting both shots, and then did it again just a possession later, bringing his point total to 9 on the night. Weeks kept Memphis’ momentum rolling with a fast-break layup, and it didn’t go anywhere after Bing missed two free throws. Almodovar stayed hot with a jumper to tie the game at 40 after an 8-0 run for the Tigers.
Dak finally put an end to the run with a dunk off an assist from Buyuktuncel, and Tanner scored his fourth basket of the night with a short paint jumper. Bing was called for an offensive foul, but Barrett made up for it with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the half. Vanderbilt led 47-42 as both teams headed into the locker room to recuperate for another 20 minutes of play.
Second half
Almodovar couldn’t pick up where he left off in the first half, missing two shots at the rim and giving possession back to the ’Dores and Glass, who cashed in from long range twice in a row to push the lead to double digits. Memphis needed a timeout quickly, with the score already up to 53-42 with 18:40 still on the clock.
Weeks nailed a jump shot right out of the Tigers’ timeout, but Buyuktuncel matched it and kept Memphis out of reach for the time being. Weeks hit one of two free throws after being fouled by Williams-Adams, and Tanner made a strong jumper in the paint to push the lead to 12. A series of pump fakes opened up a lane for Williams-Adams to drive to the cup on Vanderbilt’s next possession, but Reid finally got a bucket back for Memphis with an and-one jumper.
Glass was fouled on a running shot attempt and made both shots from the charity stripe before splashing home a triple from the corner just 30 seconds later. Vanderbilt built up a 16-point lead, as it was up 64-48 with 15:36 to go.
Reid hit one of his two attempts from the line, and Glass took advantage with a smooth side-step 3-pointer to extend the lead. Glass, on a heat check, couldn’t hit his second consecutive shot from beyond the arc, but he got a layup to fall after an offensive rebound and assist from Dak. Dak kept up his impressive play with a violent denial of Reid’s jump shot attempt and a single made free throw on a trip to the line.
And there Glass was again from 3-point land on the next possession, pushing the ’Dores’ lead to 24 — and his own scoring tally to 19 points. Almodovar matched it, though, with a 3-pointer of his own. Glass had his next attempt swatted by Almodovar, who, shortly after, ran down to the other and made a layup through contact. The score was back within 20, but the Black and Gold still led 73-54 with 11:51 left to play.
Almodovar made his free throw, and after a missed 3-point shot by Tanner, he made a dunk as well to bring the Tigers closer. Buyuktuncel brought the Commodores back up with a pair of free throws before Williams made one of his two shot attempts from the line. Almodovar went up for a massive dunk on a fast break for Memphis but came down hard and made his way to the locker room after a scary fall.
Williams-Adams worked his way into double digits with a short jumper, and Glass kept his hot night going with a deep 2-pointer. Cummings hit one of his two shots from the free-throw line before Cello Jackson Jr. did the same, but Tanner made a tough layup to bring the score to 81-62 with 7:54 on the clock.
Jackson missed both free throws this time, causing the crowd to erupt in excitement due to the free burger at Shake Shack promotion. Excitement remained in the air after a Buyuktuncel dunk off an assist from Barrett, but it slightly died down after Bing went one-for-two at the stripe. Barrett pushed the Commodores’ lead to 20 with one made free throw, but Cummings bit into it with a 3-pointer from the left wing.
Reid made a fast-break layup, but Tanner got two back quickly for a solo 4-point run. Bing and Glass each made layups on the fast break following Memphis misses, and this game was all but over. Bing made one more to put the ’Dores up 25, with the score at 95-70 with 3:20 left at the final media timeout.
Julius Thedford’s jumper didn’t mean much, but Jayden Leverett’s 3-pointer did — at least, it certainly did to the crowd. Jackson and Holloway made a few free throws, and Thedford made a tip-in layup, but it was too little, too late. Mavrick Hawkins made two free throws and a layup to seal the deal, as the Commodores won 105-81.
Vanderbilt’s next matchup will be a little easier, as the Commodores prepare to take on Prairie View A&M on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6:00 p.m. CST in Memorial Gymnasium.
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