NASHVILLE — Vanderbilt basketball won its only home exhibition game Monday night, beating UAB by a score of 97-65.
The Commodores did what was expected of them as they pulled away from the Blazers in the later stages of the first half and did not let UAB back into the game at any point. Vanderbilt played aggressive defense and found plenty of success, creating numerous UAB turnovers.
While the game was not broadcast to the public, stats for both teams and players were still kept in the arena.
Team Stats
As a team, Vanderbilt shot 35-for-67 (52.2%) from the floor while going 11-for-29 (38%) from beyond the arc. It was a bit of a slow start from the long range for the Commodores. They started the game roughly 2-for-11 from deep, but eventually made 50% of their last 18 three-pointers. As a team, free throws were the biggest struggle. Vanderbilt only hit 16 of its 29 free throw attempts (55.2%) and went 1-for-2 on plenty of trips to the free throw.
On the night, Vanderbilt was pretty sloppy offensively, turning the ball over 17 times. That is not something that is going to fly with head coach Mark Byington going forward and it did not fly with him Monday night either.
Vanderbilt’s defense was one of the stories of the game. The Commodores stole the ball away 12 times in the game and point guard Tyler Tanner had half of them. The Commodores also blocked seven UAB shots.
Player Stats
Vanderbilt freshman guard Ant Brown Jr. was one of the biggest stories of the night. Brown Jr. finished with a double-double on 10 points and 10 assists. His passing ability on a few plays certainly stood out. Brown Jr. had two rebounds to his name as well. It was a great start to his career playing in Memorial Gymnasium.
Vanderbilt center Bangot Dak had a great day with 15 points and five rebounds. He got a little trigger-happy shooting three-pointers, though he was open, in the first half but he eventually settled into the game and did plenty of damage in the paint as the game went along.
Tyler Tanner was his usual self Monday. Tanner finished the exhibition leading Vanderbilt in scoring with 18 points and six rebounds on top of his six steals. Tanner told reporters Friday he had been working on his defense throughout the offseason and it came to fruition against UAB.
Another guard, Ace Glass, had himself a day as well with 12 points and five rebounds. Glass showed his scoring ability he brought over from Washington State in an encouraging way. Glass hit three of his five attempts from beyond the arc.
Nobody was bigger on the glass than Nebraska transfer Berke Buyuktuncel. In addition to his seven points, Buyuktuncel finished with 10 rebounds. It was clear to tell that Buyuktuncel helped Vanderbilt on both sides of the floor with his physicality.
Other scorers for Vanderbilt were Jayden Leverett with eight points and four rebounds, Sebastian Williams-Adams with eight points and one rebound; freshman guard Ethan Mgbako with six points and five rebounds, Chandler Bing with four points and five rebounds, freshman Mavrik Hawkins with five points on a made three-point attempt and two made free throws; and freshman big man Jackson Sheffield with two points and two rebounds.
Vanderbilt will close its preseason Friday with an exhibition game against Miami (FL). The Commodores will travel to Coral Gables to take on the Hurricanes at 6 p.m. CT.
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