Vanderbilt Commodores Men’s Basketball Fall to Respected SEC Opponent
The Vanderbilt Commodores went into Tuesday’s game with the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs in search of a 2-0 SEC start for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
That didn’t come to pass, as the Commodores fell to the Bulldogs, 76-64.
The Commodores (13-2, 1-1 in SEC) were receiving votes in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Top 25 coaches’ poll, but they found themselves behind the Bulldogs (14-1, 2-0) for most of the contest.
Vanderbilt was hoping to build on the road win over LSU in their conference opener, which was its first road opening win in league play since 2016.
Late in the second half, Vanderbilt went on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 63-58 with 5:07 remaining. But, from there, the Bulldogs held the Commodores off to pull away with the victory.
That run was Vandy’s largest of the game.
At one point, Mississippi State led by 22 points with 14:08 left in the second half, up 56-34. So Vanderbilt made a spirited comeback, but wasn’t able to finish the job and make it closer down the stretch.
Shooting was critical to the win for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs shot 47% from the floor, 38% from the 3-point line and 84% from the free-throw line. The Commodores shot 35% from the floor, 19% from the 3-point line and 75% from the free-throw line.
Vandy’s clip from the arc was especially damaging, as the Commodores attempted 26 shots but only made five.
A.J. Hoggard led the Commodores with 18 points. He also had a team-high three assists. Grant Huffman scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds before he fouled out. Tyler Nickel added 10 points. Jaylen Carey and Devin McGlockton each had six rebounds.
RJ Melendez led Mississippi State with 19 points, including seven rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. He co-led the Commodores in rebounds, along with Claudell Harris Jr., who also had 13 points. Cameron Matthews scored 16 points. He also had five rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots.
With the loss, Vanderbilt’s edge in the all-time series with the Bulldogs fell to 81-55. The Commodores have also dropped six of the last eight meetings, dating back to 2019. Vandy is now 49-12 at home against Mississippi State.
Vanderbilt will travel to Missouri for a SEC showdown art 2:30 p.m. central on Saturday.
