NASSAU, The Bahamas — Duke Miles and Devin McGlockton each eclipsed the 20-point mark to power No. 24/23 Vanderbilt past Western Kentucky, 83-78, in the opening game of the Battle 4 Atlantis Wednesday.
Miles scored a game-high 28 points while McGlockton dropped a season-high 22 to lead the Commodores (6-0). Tyler Tanner added 11 to give the Dores three double-figure scorers. Frankie Collins, returning to action after missing the previous two games, scored eight points while racking up nine assists and six steals in the victory. Collins also eclipsed 1,000 career points with a pair of early free throws.
Western Kentucky (4-1) was paced by Teegan Moore with 24 points. Cam Haffner scored 18, Armelo Boone 15 and Terrion Murdix 11 for the Hilltoppers.
The Hilltoppers opened on the front foot before a Tanner three gave the Dores the lead with 12:21 to play in the first half. Vanderbilt never trailed again, extending the lead to as many as 15 before a late WKU flurry closed the final margin to five.
While Vanderbilt’s vaunted offensive attack was limited to a season-low 83 points, the Commodore defense held Western Kentucky to just 37.1 percent from the floor in the win. The Commodores produced 18 assists on their 24 made buckets.
Vanderbilt moved to 6-0 for the second consecutive season. It’s the first back-to-back 6-0 starts for the Dores since the 1999-00 and 2000-01 seasons.
The Commodores will face VCU in the semifinals with tipoff at 11 a.m. CT Thursday on ESPN.
