Field Level Media
Dec 27, 2020
Vanderbilt seized a big lead early and romped past Alcorn State, 87-59, at Nashville's Memorial Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.
Scotty Pippen Jr. led the Commodores (4-2), with a career-high 30 points -- his fourth-straight 20-plus point game -- while tying teammates Jordan Wright and Issac McBride with a game-high four assists.
Freshman Myles Stute, playing for the first time since Vanderbilt's opener, added a career-high 16 points. Wright (11) and D.J. Harvey (10) also scored in double-figures for Vanderbilt.
Vandy hit a season-high 14 3-pointers, connecting on 46.7 percent of its tries. Its largest lead came at the buzzer.
Tyree Corbett had 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Braves (0-4). Jacoby Ross, playing his first game for Alcorn State after transferring from Alabama State, led the team with 14 points.
The Braves shot 36.9 percent from the field and 14.3 from 3.
Vandy, which led by 24 late in the first half, went up by that margin again early in the second after Pippen blocked a Ross 3-pointer and then took a pass from Tyrin Lawrence before dunking on the other end.
The Commodores took their biggest lead to that point at 63-38 when Stute hit his fourth 3 with 12:15 left.
Vandy managed a 41-21 lead at the break thanks to Pippen's 10 points and three assists.
Vanderbilt's offense struggled in some respects in the first half (eight turnovers) but shot 53.1 percent, had 11 assists and a 13-0 edge in fast-break points.
Alcorn State shot just 30 percent in the first half and turned it over 12 times.
Vanderbilt jumped out to an early 13-4 lead after an 11-0 run. A Trey Thomas 3-pointer with 13:14 left in the first half -- the Commodores' fourth 3 to that point -- gave Vandy an 18-6 lead, its first double-digit advantage of the day.
Vanderbilt took its first 20-point lead (33-13) on Maxwell Evans's fast-break dunk with 4:43 left in the first half.
Alcorn State (0-4) played without leading scorer Troymain Crosby (18.7 ppg) as well as Drexel transfer Kurk Lee, who scored 14 in the one game he played against UAB.
This was Vanderbilt's last nonconference game before it opens SEC play against Florida on Dec. 30. The Commodores had four nonconference games canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
--Field Level Media