NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jordan Wright sank a key 3-pointer and added two free throws in the final minute Thursday to help Vanderbilt men’s basketball clinch a 70-62 win over Alabama A&M at Memorial Gymnasium.
Wright’s basket pushed the Commodores’ advantage to four points, with the free throws following a steal on the other end of the court. Liam Robbins added two more free throws after another steal as Vandy improved to 6-6 heading into the holiday break.
Robbins finished with a team-high 14 points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocked shots, while Wright and Ezra Manjon both scored 12 points coming off the bench. Quentin Millora-Brown and Myles Stute contributed six rebounds to help the Dores finish with a 43-28 advantage on the boards.
Olisa Blaise Akonobi recorded a double-double for the Bulldogs (4-8) with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Messiah Thompson paced Alabama A&M with 15 points and six assists, and Garrett Hicks scored 10 as well.
Alabama A&M built a 19-11 advantage 10 and a half minutes into the game, but Vandy put together a 23-3 run to go up by as many as 12 points before taking a 34-28 lead at the break. The highlight of that stretch came when Emmanuel Ansong connected on a pair of 3-pointers in a 51-second span.
The Bulldogs regained the lead with 12 and a half minutes left in regulation and were ahead by as many as five points twice in the second half. Tyrin Lawrence tied the game 56-56 with under seven minutes to go when he exploded down the lane for a slam dunk, and his free throw a minute later gave the Commodores the lead for good.
Vandy will close out its nonconference schedule at Memorial Gymnasium on Friday, Dec. 30 with a 6 p.m. contest against Southeastern Louisiana.
