Men's Hoops Defeats New Orleans

Men’s Hoops Defeats New Orleans

12/20/2005

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Shan Foster scored 20 of his career-high 27 points in the second half Tuesday night to lead Vanderbilt past New Orleans 78-72.

Mario Moore and Julian Terrell added 14 and 13, respectively, for the Commodores (7-1).

James Parlow led the Privateers (2-7) with 18 while Nathaniel Parker had 17.

Foster, who was 5-of-8 from behind the arc in the second half alone, almost single-handedly fought off the New Orleans upset attempt.

After trailing 44-29 at halftime, the Privateers cut the lead to 56-50 on a 3-pointer by Parlow with 11:41 left.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Foster put the Commodores back out to a 70-59 lead but again the Privateers climbed back into the game.

After New Orleans again cut the advantage to five, Foster hit another 3-pointer that gave Vanderbilt a 74-66 lead with 4:36 left. The Privateers cut the lead to five again in the final minute but could get no closer.

Vanderbilt, rusty in playing just its third game in 20 days, misfired on 13 of its first 18 shots from the field to start the game before finally gaining its rhythm with a 14-2 run midway through the first half. In the decisive spurt, the Commodores scored in seven straight possessions and connected on 8-of-9 shots from the floor.

The Commodores play host to IUPUI Thursday at 7 p.m.