KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt men’s basketball team battled No. 5 Tennessee, falling on the road by a 77-68 final score at Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday.
Julian Phillips and Santiago Vescovi paced the Volunteers (14-2, 4-0 SEC) with 15 points apiece, and Uros Plavsic recorded 11 as Tennessee shot 48 percent from the field and was credited with 20 assists on 28 field goals.
Liam Robbins finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the Commodores (8-8, 1-2 SEC), going 10 of 12 at the free throw line. Jordan Wright added 13 points and five rebounds, Noah Shelby scored 12 and Myles Stute matched Robbins for team-high honors with seven rebounds as well.
The Commodores closed the first half with the final seven points to take their only lead of the night, 39-37, on a coast-to-coast layup from Wright just before the halftime buzzer. Shelby posted all 12 of his points in the first half, while Lee Dort contributed six points, two rebounds and a block in the opening 20 minutes.
Vandy returns home on Saturday to play to host to No. 15 Arkansas, with tip off scheduled for 1 p.m. at Memorial Gymnasium.
