NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jordair Jett scored 17 points to spark Saint Louis to its sixth straight victory, 57-49 over host Vanderbilt on Monday night.
The Billkens (12-2) scored 12 straight points to take the game’s biggest lead, 53-44, on two Grandy Glaze free throws with 1:06 left.
After trailing much of the game, Rob Loe had back-to-back baskets, including a dunk after Jett’s steal, to put Saint Louis back on top 41-40 with 6:49 left — its first lead since midway through the first half. Saint Louis stretched it to 49-44 on Dwayne Evans’ steal and subsequent dunk on the fast break with 2 minutes left.
Damian Jones scored 12 points to lead the Commodores (7-4), who saw a three-game win streak end with its first home court loss this season. It was Vanderbilt’s lowest offensive output at Memorial Gym since scoring 43 in back-to-back losses in February 2002.
The Billikens’ defense, ranked fourth in the nation in points allowed and 3-point percentage, held Vanderbilt to 33.9 percent shooting overall and 17.6 percent from beyond the arc (3 of 17). Commodore leading scorer Rod Odom went 0-for-8 from 3-point range and scored just six points.
Evans, the Billikens’ leading scorer, got his first basket just after halftime, and SLU then cut it to 27-25 on Jett’s fast-break. Evans and McCall scored nine points apiece, and Evans also got a key rebound during the stretch run on Jett’s missed free throw and made one of his two free throws.
Glaze finished with 10 rebounds and Evans added nine.
Saint Louis shot ahead 6-0 on three straight drives with Jett scoring the first two buckets after neither team scored the first 3 1/2 minutes.
Vanderbilt closed to 6-5 on Damian Jones’ inside basket and Dai-Jon Parker’s 3-pointer, but the Billikens pushed ahead 11-5 with their own 5-0 run capped by McCall’s 3-pointer.
The Commodores took their first lead at 12-11 on one of two free throws by Eric McClellan after putbacks by James Siakam and Jones. Jones then threw down a dunk on an alley-oop and finished off an 11-0 run with a turn-around jumper for a 16-11 lead.
Austin McBroom’s two straight treys put Saint Louis back ahead 17-16, but Luke Kornet nailed a 3-pointer to spark an 11-2 Vanderbilt spurt. The Commodores took their largest lead at 27-19 on McClellan’s jumper and led 27-21 at halftime.
