NASHVILLE – With Christmas break approaching, Vanderbilt guard Saben Lee knew he would be heading to his hometown of Phoenix regardless of what happened in the Commodores’ matchup with No. 18 Arizona State on Monday.
But now, following a convincing win over the Sun Devils, Lee said he looks forward to his trip out west a little more.
"Definitely, yeah," Lee said. "Always, getting a win is a good feeling. It will definitely be a better time at home."
Vanderbilt didn’t just notch a solid victory on Monday. It made a statement with its 81-65 victory over No. 18 Arizona State, easily the Dores’ best win of the 2018-19 season. This is a team that continues to find its groove without Darius Garland, the highly touted freshman lost for the year with a meniscus injury. But for one more night, at least, Vanderbilt looked like it could author a stellar season in the SEC.
"Coming off finals week, you never know how a team is going to respond," Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew said. "We had some really good practices for 10 days … Really proud of how we responded."
On offense, the Commodores kept the Sun Devils on their toes all night. Five players scored in double-figures for Vanderbilt, led by Saben Lee’s 14 points. The Dores notched 36 points off the bench and dished out 13 assists compared to 10 turnovers, and all this happened after falling behind 9-0 in the early goings of the game.
Moreover, Vanderbilt was extra effective shooting the basketball. It hit 44 percent (24-of-55) of its shots from the floor and knocked down 12-of-28 3-point attempts (43 percent). The Commodores came in averaging 8.5 treys per game and shooting just 35.6 percent from deep on the season.
"We have some guys come off the bench that are capable of making shots and scoring the basketball," Drew said.
But Vanderbilt’s defense likewise came alive. It limited a dangerous Arizona State offense to just 32 percent shooting from the floor and 7-of-24 from 3-point range. Sun Devils’ leading scorer Luguentz Dort (20.9 points per game) managed a season-low 10 points on 3-13 shooting.
Vanderbilt once hoped it could rely on Garland as a difference-maker this season. His injury instantly changed the dynamic of the Commodores’ roster. But against Arizona State, the Dores proved this team could be greater than the sum of its parts. Bench points, stifling defense and balanced scoring was enough to take down a top-20 team on Monday, Vanderbilt’s first win over a ranked foe in nine tries. That same recipe could also work against a deep SEC schedule.
"Just as a team, we knew how big this win would be for us," Lee said. "We know how it would put us in a good spot later in the season… There are enough people in our locker room who can win games like this."
Now Vanderbilt can’t afford to let up after its biggest win of the young season. It travels to Kansas City to face Kansas State this Saturday (6 p.m. CT ESPN2). The college basketball world will continue to learn more about this Commodore team going forward. But for now, a wave of momentum is carrying Vanderbilt forward.
"I think it’s huge for us," center Yanni Wetzell said. "We obviously lost a critical piece a couple of weeks back. To get this win, it just shows the resiliency of this team and we have that next man up mentality."
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics.
