RICHMOND, Va. — Sophomore Aaron Nesmith scored a game-high 34 points Thursday, but it was not enough as Richmond escaped with a 93-92 overtime win against the Commodores in the Robins Center.
Junior guard Saben Lee added 24 points for Vanderbilt (2-1).
In a back-and-forth affair that featured 12 ties and 19 lead changes, the Spiders emerged victorious after the Spiders’ Andre Gustavson knocked down one of two free throws with .5 left in overtime.
Gustavson appeared to have caused the game to go to a second overtime when he missed a dunk just before the buzzer, but the officials conferred and called the foul on Scottie Pippen Jr. With such little time left on the clock, Gustavson missed the second shot and the Spiders (2-0) had their second overtime win of the season.
Jacob Gilyard had 26 points and seven steals for the Spiders, including the steal that sent Gustavson heading toward the basket for the final play. Blake Francis added 24 points and Nathan Cayo 20 for Richmond, which beat St. Francis, Pa., 100-98 in overtime in its season opener.
Nesmith scored 34 points, including 26 after halftime, and Saben Lee had 20 of his 24 after the intermission for Vanderbilt (1-1)
The Spiders led 80-74 with under two minutes to play in regulation, but Lee hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie it, the last with 1:13 left.
Vanderbilt returns to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday when the Commodores take on Austin Peay at Memorial Gym.
