The Sports Xchange
Dec 20, 2017
Vanderbilt led from start to finish in an 81-48 victory over Houston Baptist on Wednesday evening at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn.
Commodores guards Matthew Fisher-Davis (19 points) and Riley LaChance (11 points) broke out of shooting slumps, and forward Jeff Roberson (17 points, 10 rebounds) added his sixth double-double of the season.
Vanderbilt (4-7) snapped a three-game losing streak.
Houston Baptist, led by freshman guard Ian DuBose's career-high 20, had a season low in points and field-goal percentage (26.2 percent).
Vanderbilt added onto a 17-point halftime lead early in the second period as Fisher-Davis started the half with a pair of 3-pointers from the left side, the second increasing the margin to 40-17.
The lead was 30 when forward Joe Toye converted a layup in traffic at 14:14.
In a first half marked by missed shots, turnovers and slow play, Vanderbilt led from the start off a Roberson 3-pointer just 21 seconds into the game, and had a 34-17 advantage at the break.
The Commodores got the lead to double digits on guard Saben Lee's fastbreak layup, and subsequent foul shot putting Vanderbilt up 25-12 with 4:00 left.
Vanderbilt ended the half on a 20-7 run, with points coming from five different players.
Houston Baptist (4-8), which averaged 81.8 points coming in, struggled to play without center Josh Ibarra (foot injury) for the third-straight game. The Huskies' center leads the team in scoring (16.6 points per game) and rebounding (10.0 per game).
Making matters worse, Huskies reserve forward Tim Myles was carried off the floor midway through the second half with what appeared to be a foot or ankle issue.
Vanderbilt freshman guard Max Evans, a Houston native, scored a career-high 14 after not playing in the first half.