NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt suffered its second loss of the 2019-20 season Saturday, losing 67-58 to Tulsa at Memorial Gymnasium.
Elijah Joiner added 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Golden Hurricane (6-1).
Vanderbilt hosts Buffalo on Tuesday to continue its home stand. Tuesday’s matchup will be streamed on SEC Network+.
Aaron Nesmith, the nation’s leading 3-point shooter and Southeastern Conference’s leading scorer, led the Commodores (5-2) with 26 points, including five 3-pointers.
Scotty Pippen Jr. added 12 points and Saben Lee had 11 for the Commodores, who shot an uncustomary 36% from the floor, hitting just 20 of 56, and had their three-game win streak snapped.
Vanderbilt pulled to 60-56 with 3:27 remaining using its full-court press, but didn’t get closer.
“They just slowed the pace down,” Nesmith said. “We couldn’t play with our speed and we’ve just got to do a better job of executing our offense all the way through.”
It was the first time the teams met since the 1950-51 season.
A poor shooting night gave the Commodores their second loss under first-year coach Jerry Stackhouse.
“They did some things to make us have some indecision with our playmaking,” said Stackhouse. “They played a match-up zone and threw a few wrinkles at us. They got a lot of points off turnovers. We’ve got to make sure we’re taking care of the ball a little better.”
Tulsa’s bench doubled Vanderbilt in scoring, 30-15. … The Commodores entered the game leading the SEC in field goal percentage at 51%. … Powered by an 11-0 run late in the first half, the Golden Hurricane took a 34-30 halftime lead.
Vanderbilt Defeated by Tulsa by Vanderbilt Athletics on Exposure
