South Carolina State @ Vanderbilt preview

Vanderbilt shook off a tough loss with a convincing second half in Wednesday’s victory over Austin Peay, and head into Friday’s home game against South Carolina State with momentum thanks to a breakout performance by Scotty Pippen Jr. The freshman guard scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half of a 90-72 victory, and the son of the NBA Hall of Famer teamed up with Aaron Nesmith and Saben Lee to produce 66 points and 12 assists.

Following a 93-92 overtime defeat at Richmond on Nov. 14, Vanderbilt stumbled through a slow first half Wednesday before scoring 52 points on 67.9 percent shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes. “We took ourselves out of some things (Wednesday) with some early foul trouble and had to try to piece together a first half to get to the second half,” Vanderbilt first-year coach Jerry Stackhouse told the media postgame. The Commodores, who ended last season on a 20-game losing streak, are 3-0 at home and play their next five games in Nashville. The Bulldogs have faced two Division I opponents, falling by 33 points at No. 20 Memphis and by 26 at Liberty.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network Plus

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (2-2): The Bulldogs shot 36.2 percent from the field against Memphis and 26.9 percent against Liberty, compared to shooting 50 percent or better in victories over Bob Jones (Division II) and Wilberforce (NAIA). Senior guard Jahmari Etienne averaged 12.5 points in the two games against Memphis and Liberty, shooting 7-for-15 from 3-point range. Senior forward Ian Kinard scored 13 points against Memphis on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, hitting three 3-pointers.

ABOUT VANDERBILT (3-1): Nesmith scored a game-high 26 points Wednesday on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, and the sophomore forward leads the nation in made 3-pointers per game (5.25) while ranking third in the country in average scoring (26.5). Lee, a junior guard, averages 19.8 points and is tops on the Commodores with 29 assists after scoring 19 with nine assists against Austin Peay. Vanderbilt is shooting 51.1 percent from the field, boosted by Nesmith’s 61.3 percent and Lee’s 50.9.

TIP-INS

1. Vanderbilt made at least eight 3-pointers in every game this season, while Nesmith has hit at least one 3-pointer in 26 consecutive games.

2. Lee is 177 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his career.

3. The Commodores do not play on the road until facing Loyola Chicago in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase in Phoenix on Dec. 18.

PREDICTION: Vanderbilt 91, South Carolina State 65