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ASU basketball falls to Vanderbilt in second loss of the season

No. 18 ASU drops to 8-2 on the season following a win at Georgia on Saturday

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ASU freshman Luguentz Dort (0) takes on a defender as ASU defeats Texas Southern University 83-71 in Tempe, Arizona, on Saturday Dec. 1, 2018.


After a win at Georgia on Saturday, ASU basketball traveled to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt on Monday night where they lost 81-65 to the Commodores, ultimately splitting the SEC road trip.

No. 18 ASU (8-2) jumped out to an early advantage, but Vanderbilt stole the momentum on its home court, using its driving ability to create easy baskets and three-point opportunities.

The Sun Devils started with a 9-0 lead, but Vanderbilt (7-2) found a groove after a 3-pointer from freshman guard Aaron Nesmith off the bench. Vanderbilt finished the night with 12 3-pointers total including three from Nesmith, who ended the game with 13 points.

After taking the lead, the Commodores held a six-point advantage into halftime with a 18-3 run. ASU go within three points late in the game, but Vanderbilt didn’t relinquish its lead, ending on a 19-6 run.

ASU freshman guard Luguentz Dort, who usually leads ASU in scoring averaging more than 20 points per game, he couldn’t get in sync on Monday. Dort didn’t finish many shots at the rim and didn’t receive foul calls from the referees to get to the free-throw line.

Dort finished with 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting, but he and the rest of the Sun Devils lacked offensive firepower, shooting 32.3 percent from the field as a team.

Vanderbilt had five players score in double figures including Matt Ryan, Joe Toye and Yanni Wetzell. Sophomore guard Saben Lee, who has taken over for injured star freshman guard Darius Garland, led the charge, finishing with a game-high 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Despite the loss, ASU did have a bright spot with a comeback from redshirt junior guard Rob Edwards, who returned recently from a back injury. Edwards scored 14 points off the bench during this game despite not scoring in his first two games back on the court.

ASU has a chance to redeem itself later this week as it plays No. 1 Kansas at home on Saturdaay at 7 p.m. MST.


Reach the reporter at nahiatt@asu.edu or follow @NATE_HIATT on Twitter.

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