NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Vanderbilt held Detroit to just five made field goals inside the arc. Coach Kevin Stallings was a bit more upset that his Commodores gave up 11 3-pointers, even in a rout.
Wade Baldwin IV led seven Commodores in double figures with 20 points, and No. 16 Vanderbilt beat Detroit 102-52 on Wednesday night in a quick stop at home.
“We were very, very concerned about their perimeter scoring and just their scoring capability over all,” Stallings said. “Our SID just said to me that I looked mad the whole game, and I guess that’s just my ever pleasant personality.”
The Commodores (6-1) played their first game since finishing second to Kansas in the Maui Invitational last week, and they visit No. 25 Baylor on Sunday. This was the first time Vanderbilt has had six players in double figures since Nov. 11, 2008, against Central Arkansas, and the Commodores hadn’t scored 100 since Feb. 12, 2012, in a 102-76 win at Mississippi.
“They came back from Maui a much better team,” Detroit coach Ray McCallum said. “It was on display tonight.”
Nolan Cressler scored 14 points, his most since transferring to Vanderbilt. Matthew Fisher-Davis hit four 3-pointers in scoring a season-high 12 points. Josh Henderson finished with 11, and Damian Jones, Riley LaChance and Joe Toye all had 10 each.
Anton Wilson led Detroit (2-3) with 14 points. Jarod Williams had 12, and Chris Jenkins and Josh McFolley each had 11.
The Horizon League team came in tied for second in the nation scoring 96 points a game and scored the first five points. The Titans were tied twice.
Then Vanderbilt shook off its jet lag going on a 31-7 spurt that featured 14 straight points as the Titans missed 11 straight shots. The Commodores also strung together another 10-0 run as they just kept pushing their lead with a 3-pointer by Fisher-Davis putting them up 36-14 with 3:26 left.
Then the Titans hit three straight buckets, including back-to-back 3s. That prompted Stallings to take a timeout, and he slammed his dry erase board down on the floor as his Commodores huddled around.
Vanderbilt finished the half scoring the final nine points in leading 47-20 at halftime.
In the second half, the Commodores led by as much as 50 when Cressler hit a 3 with 7:55 left at 86-36. They matched with the final margin with Stallings playing 13 players.
TIP-INS
Vanderbilt: The Commodores matched the fifth-largest margin of victory in school history, tying the win over Southwestern on Dec. 6, 1957. … Freshman guard Camron Justice did not play after injuring his groin in practice Tuesday. … Vanderbilt tied its season-high with 12 made 3-pointers. … Henderson hit a 3-pointer with 11:38 left, the first of his career after the 7-foot graduate student missed his first three attempts.
Detroit: The Titans shot better outside the arc (11 of 27) than they did inside (5 of 43). … Detroit now is 2-12 against the Southeastern Conference. The Titans’ last win came in 1969 over Mississippi State. … The Titans have not beaten a ranked team on the road since 1979 at Marquette. They lost their 25th straight against a ranked opponent and now is 20-129 against Top 25 teams. … Vanderbilt athletic director David Williams II is a Detroit native who earned a masters in business administration and law degree at Detroit.
KORNET’S NIGHT
Luke Kornet finished with only two points for Vandy, but he had 11 rebounds and blocked a career-high five shots. Stallings said Kornet might’ve had a double-double if he played the junior more than 16 minutes.
UP NEXT
Vanderbilt visits No. 25 Baylor on Sunday. Detroit hosts Northeastern on Saturday.
