OKLAHOMA CITY – No. 5 Vanderbilt men’s basketball advanced to the round of 32 at the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, defeating No. 12 McNeese State 78-68. The victory was the first in the big dance for the Commodores since 2012.
Tyler Tanner led the Commodores with 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The All-American guard nailed three from beyond the arc and went 9-of-10 from the line. Duke Miles added 13 points along with three assists. Tyler Nickel had 12 points off three triples and three free throws. Devin McGlockton matched Nickel with 12 points while grabbing eight boards himself. AK Okereke had seven points and led Vandy with nine rebounds.
Vanderbilt was slow out of the gates, trailing McNeese by 11 points at the first media timeout. From there, the Commodores chipped away at the McNeese lead, eventually taking it for themselves off a Nickel triple at the four-minute mark. The Dores took a three-point lead into the half.
Out of the break, Vanderbilt went on a quick 7-0 run to go up 10 points. However, McNeese rallied back to pull with 63-60 with 6:33 to play. Vandy answered with a 9-0 spurt, powered by seven points from Tanner to pull away. The Dores were perfect from the free throw line down the stretch to ice the game.
Vanderbilt scored 34 points in the paint and 13 off turnovers. The Commodores also outrebounded the Cowboys 37-34. Vandy shot 51 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Dores hit 17-of-20 from the charity stripe.
Garwey Dual led McNeese with 16 points and six assists. Larry Johnson added 15 points and five rebounds. Tyshawn Archie added 13 points.
No. 5 Vanderbilt will play No. 4 Nebraska on Saturday in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with an opportunity to reach their first Sweet 16 since 2007.
