NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Derrick Byars scored 19 points and three other Commodore players scored in double figures as Vanderbilt beat Ole Miss 85-80 Saturday.
Clutch foul shooting down the stretch helped the Commodores hold off a furious second-half Ole Miss rally.
Vanderbilt (15-6, 5-2) hit seven-of-eight free throws in the game’s final 2:22.
The Commodores jumped out to a 44-29 halftime lead, and led the entire way with the exception of a brief 4-2 Rebel advantage.
Nine Commodores hit field goals, and Vandy shot 63 percent as a team during the half.
But Ole Miss (13-8, 2-5) stormed out of the locker room, scoring 31 points in the half’s first 9:27, and took the lead when Clarence Sanders’ 3 from the left corner gave the Rebels a 61-60 lead.
The game would stay tight the rest of the way.
Vandy took a 76-72 lead on Byars’ layup from Ross Neltner, but back-to-back baskets by the Rebels’ Todd Abernethy and Bam Doyne tied the game.
But Neltner hit both ends of a one-and-one at the 2:22 mark, and Vandy never trailed again.
Dan Cage (18 points), Shan Foster (14) and Neltner (10) helped Byars shoulder the scoring burden.
Ole Miss had six players score in double-figures, led by Bam Doynes’ 22. Fifteen of Doynes’ points game in the second half.
The four straight Southeastern Conference wins represent the longest streak by a Vandy team since the 1996-97 team won five in a row.
Vanderbilt’s 5-2 record in conference play is its best start under head coach Kevin Stallings.
