NASHVILLE, Tenn. | Omari Peek scored eight of his team-high 13 points in the first half, but the Alabama A&M University men's basketball team could not slow down Vanderbilt in the second half, falling 78-59, on Saturday at Historic Memorial Gymnasium.
Alabama A&M (1-6) trailed 36-29 at the break, but suffered a four-minute cold-shooting spell as Vanderbilt took advantage. The Commodores (4-4) did most of their damage at the foul line, going to the charity stripe 34 times and making 24 shots.
Peek's 13 points led the way for AAMU, along with five rebounds and one assist.
EJ Williams added 12 points, two boards and one assist, while
Dailin Smith scored nine of his 11 points in the first half, along with three boards.
Tyrin Lawrence paced Vandy with 19 points, including going 8-of-10 from the foul line, with four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Ven-Allen Lubin recorded a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, with one blocked shot, while Ezra Manjon added 12 points, seven assists, three boards and two steals. Evan Taylor chipped in 10 points, two boards and one assists, while Jason Rivera-Torres also recorded 10 points, eight boards, three assists and one steal.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alabama A&M opened the game with a layup by
Dailin Smith and a triple by
Omari Peek as the Bulldogs grabbed a quick 5-0 lead just one minute into the game and pushed the margin to 9-5 after a Smith putback with just under 17 minutes to play in the half.
The Commodores used an 8-2 run over the next three minutes, grabbing a 13-11 lead after a 3-pointer by Taylor with 14:55 remaining.
The Bulldogs continued to keep the game close, tying the game at 20 after a three-point play by Smith with 8:26 left.
Alabama A&M, who shot 28.6 percent in the first half, went cold from the floor, going more than six minutes without a bucket as Vanderbilt built a 34-22 advantage after two free throws by Lubin with 2:26 remaining in the opening half.
The Bulldogs got back-to-back buckets by Peek as Alabama A&M entered the break training, 36-29.
AAMU continued to keep the game close, gutting the margin to 44-40 after a step-back jumper by
Caleb Blackwell with 15:39 remaining.
However, the Commodores took advantage of another cold-shooting spell by AAMU and used a 12-2 run over a four-minute stretch, capped by a jumper by Jason Rivera-Torres as Vanderbilt extended its lead to 56-42 with 11:20 left.
A 3-pointer by Lawrence gave Vanderbilt its largest lead of the night, 69-51, with 5:24 remaining, but Alabama A&M refused to quit, cutting the margin to 69-55 after a layup by Peek with 4:29 left.
However, the Commodores proved to be too much as Alabama A&M could not rally.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 28.6 percent (18-of-63) from the field and 95.0 percent (19-of-2) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs pulled down 41 rebounds, with 29 coming off the defensive glass
- Omari Peek registered 13 points, five rebounds and one assist
- EJ Williams tallied 12 points, two boards and one assist
- Dailin Smith chipped in 11 points and three boards
- The Bulldogs finished with 22 points in the paint, 17 bench points, 13 second-chance points, seven points off 10 Vandy turnovers and seven fastbreak points
- Vanderbilt went 23-of-53 from the floor (43.4 percent) and 24-of-34 (70.6 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Commodores registered 43 rebounds, with nine coming off the offensive glass
- Tyrin Lawrence tallied 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal
- Ven-Allen Lubin recorded a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, with one blocked shot
- Ezra Manjon added 12 points, seven assists, three boards and two steals
- Evan Taylor chipped in 10 points, two boards and one assists
- Jason Rivera-Torres also recorded 10 points, eight boards, three assists and one steal
- The Commodores finished with 26 points in the paint, 18 bench points, 16 points off 12 AAMU turnovers, 16 fastbreak points and two second-chance points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M continues its three-game road swing as the Bulldogs visit Georgia Tech next Saturday (Dec. 9). Tip-off against the Yellow Jackets is set for 3 p.m. from McCamish Pavilion and will be streamed on the ACC Network.
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics, check out the official homepage at www.aamusports.com. Remember to follow us on social media: Instagram (@aamuathletics) and Twitter (@_aamuathletics).
