STARKVILLE, Miss. – Tolu Smith III scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Mississippi State to a 68-55 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon at Humphrey Coliseum.
Along with Smith, Josh Hubbard and D.J. Jefferies finished in double figures for the Bulldogs with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Tyrin Lawrence led three Commodores in double figures with 16 points. Ven-Allen Lubin added 11 and eight rebounds while Evan Taylor scored 11 on the strength of three three-pointers.
Vanderbilt (5-13, 0-5 SEC) battled its way to a 12-10 lead with 12:54 to play in the opening half before Mississippi State (13-5, 2-3 SEC) went on a 14-0 run over the next 6:18 to seize control. The Bulldogs led 36-21 at the half.
Vandy shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half and cut the deficit to 10 on two occasions but could not pull closer. Mississippi State owned a 45-33 advantage on the glass and outscored the Dores 36-18 in the paint.
Vanderbilt returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 27, when the Commodores host Tennessee in Memorial Gymnasium.
