NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tyler Nickel led the No. 15 Vanderbilt men’s basketball team to its 10th win of the season with a career-high 30 points and eight three-pointers Saturday night at Memorial Gymnasium.
The Commodores move to 10-0 for the first time since 2007–08 with their 83-72 win over Central Arkansas (4-7). It was also Mark H. Carter and Family Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mark Byington’s 250th win as a head coach and 30th victory at Vanderbilt.
Including Nickel, Vandy saw three players score double-digit points; Tyler Tanner and Jalen Washington each contributed 12. Nickel’s 30 points are the most scored by a Commodore this season. He is the first Vandy student-athlete to make eight three-pointers since Scotty Pippen Jr. accomplished the feat in 2021.
Vanderbilt recorded 46 rebounds, led by Devin McGlockton with 10. Tanner added a career-high nine rebounds, just shy of a double-double.
A trio of Bears also scored in double figures. Camren Hunter led the way with 18, followed by Ty Robinson with 14 and Javion Guy-King with 13. On the glass, Malchiah Marable registered a team-high seven rebounds.
Vanderbilt stormed out to a 21-6 lead to start the game, with 15 of those points coming from Nickel. The Commodores led by as many as 20 points in the second half, but the Bears cut Vandy’s lead to single digits late in the game. In the end, the Dores were able to hang onto their lead to continue the team’s unbeaten start to the season.
Next up, Vanderbilt heads to Memphis for a 6 p.m. tipoff on Wednesday, which will be broadcast on ESPN2.
