NASHVILLE, TN – Shaun Foster scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half as Vanderbilt jumped out to a big lead early and coasted to an 85-53 win over UNC Greensboro in nonconference men's basketball action Tuesday night at Memorial Gym.
Julian Terrell led the Commodores (3-0) with 17 points and DeMarre Carroll and Derrick Byars each chipped in 15 points.
Kyle Hines led the way for UNCG (2-2) with 20 points and 11 rebounds for his 13th career double-double. Ricky Hickman chipped in with 14 points for the Spartans.
“We got out of what we had worked had worked on (in the first half) and Vanderbilt played us very tough defensively,” said UNCG coach Mike Dement. “I liked our team in the second half. We played the second half in segments and we played it much more indicative of what this team is capable of.”
After a slow start that saw the two teams combine for just three field goals in the first six minutes, Vanderbilt got hot. The Commodores went on a 23-2 run over a nine-minute span to open up a 25-5 lead.
By the time the Spartans started to get on track, Vanderbilt had opened up a 25-point lead. Hickman strung together eight straight points for the Spartans to get the offense going, but at that point it was a 38-14 game with 1:13 left before halftime.
UNCG shot just 22 percent from the field in the first half and turned the ball over 16 times. The result was a 42-14 halftime deficit.
In the second half, the Spartans got back on track, playing Vanderbilt fairly even in the second half. Vanderbilt only outscored UNCG by four in the second half, 43-39.
Hines scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half. It was the seventh career 20-point game for the sophomore from Sicklerville, NJ.
UNCG returns to town for its home opener on Saturday night when the Spartans entertain Hampton at Fleming Gymnasium. Game time is set for 7 pm.
SIDELINES: UNCG's game against Vanderbilt is the first of five opponents that the Spartans will face in the next 12 games that played in the NCAA or NIT tournaments last season... The game was UNCG's fourth away from home to open the season, the first time since 1996-97 that UNCG has opened that way... UNCG's record for fewest points in a half is 12 back on Dec. 31, 1996, against Georgia Tech.
AGATE
VANDERBILT 85, UNC GREENSBORO 53
UNC GREENSBORO (2-2)
Beckford, Brian 1-4 0-0 2; Johnson, Dwayne 0-1 0-0 0; Hines, Kyle 9-13 2-4 20; Hickman, Ricky 5-15 2-4 14; Oleksiak, Kevin 3-10 2-2 9; McClenny, David 2-4 0-0 5; Simmons, Everson 0-2 2-4 2; Akinosho, Matt 0-2 1-2 1; Everette, Dustin 0-0 0-0 0; Boddie, Devin 0-1 0-0 0; TOOMS, Bart 0-4 0-0 0; Campbell, Marc 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-56 9-16 53.
VANDERBILT (3-0)
Terrell, Julian 6-9 5-5 17; Foster, Shan 7-11 0-0 16; Carroll, DeMarre 6-10 2-3 15; Byars, Derrick 5-9 2-2 15; Cage, Dan 2-5 2-2 8; Metcalfe, Alan 2-8 2-2 6; Moore, Mario 2-4 0-0 4; Skuchas, Ted 1-3 0-0 2; Nwankwo, Davis 1-2 0-0 2; Hammond, Aubrey 0-2 0-0 0; Gordon, Alex 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 32-66 13-14 85.
Halftime: Vanderbilt 42-14. 3-point goals-UNC-Greensboro 4-15 (Hickman, Ricky 2-6; Oleksiak, Kevin 1-4; McClenny, David 1-2; TOOMS, Bart 0-1; Johnson, Dwayne 0-1; Simmons, Everson 0-1), Vanderbilt 8-23 (Byars, Derrick 3-5; Cage, Dan 2-5; Foster, Shan 2-5; Carroll, DeMarre 1-3; Hammond, Aubrey 0-1; Gordon, Alex 0-3; Moore, Mario 0-1). Fouled out--UNC-Greensboro-None, Vanderbilt-None. Rebounds-UNC-Greensboro 34 (Hines, Kyle 11), Vanderbilt 37 (Metcalfe, Alan 7). Assists-UNC-Greensboro 7 (Oleksiak, Kevin 2), Vanderbilt 19 (Gordon, Alex 5; Foster, Shan 5). Total fouls-UNC-Greensboro 14, Vanderbilt 12. Att: 10,002
- UNCG -
