NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tyler Nickel and Tyler Tanner shared team-high honors with 19 points apiece and Devin McGlockton added an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double to help lead No. 18 Vanderbilt to an 80-55 wire-to-wire men’s basketball victory over Kentucky Tuesday at Memorial Gymnasium.
Chandler Bing reached double figures in the scoring column for the first time in his collegiate career after posting 11 points for the Commodores (18-3, 5-3 SEC), who also had Jalen Washington record nine rebounds. AK Okereke chipped in with nine points and four boards while Jayden Leverett contributed six and three, respectively, in just six-plus minutes of action.
Nickel’s final basket of the contest provided the senior with his 1,000th point at the collegiate level, with Tanner also finishing with five assists, four rebounds and four steals to help Vandy hold the Wildcats (14-7, 5-3 SEC) below 56 points for the first time in the series since 2006.
The Dores connected on 10 3-pointers, while defensively they forced 15 turnovers that led to 28 points on the other end of the court and recorded nine blocked shots in limiting Kentucky to just 32.2 percent shooting from the field.
Vandy scored the first seven points of the contest and never looked back, using two different 8-0 runs to build a 26-10 edge with eight-and-a-half minutes to go in the first half before scoring 11 in a row just before the break in taking a 43-23 advantage to the locker room.
Otega Oweh paced the Wildcats with 20 points, with 14 of those coming in the second half. Denzel Aberdeen also scored 15 while Malachi Moreno led Kentucky with eight rebounds.
The Commodores’ next scheduled contest is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Ole Miss.
