Freshmen Lead Vanderbilt Basketball Past Norfolk State 63-53

Riley LaChance, Matthew Fisher-Davis, and Wade Baldwin IV didn't look like freshmen on Tuesday night. The three first-year players teamed up to lead Vanderbilt past Norfolk State 63-53 to improve Vanderbilt to 4-0 on the season.

LaChance, Fisher-Davis, and Baldwin combined for 36 points to carry Vandy past their overmatched MEAC foes. They picked up the slack when the Commodores' veteran frontcourt - sophomores Damian Jones and Luke Kornet - had an off night. The two big men shot just 5-13 from the field despite holding a sizable physical advantage in the paint.

The Spartans led early, but LaChance and Fisher-Davis keyed a 12-0 Vandy run six minutes into the game that gave the home team a lead they would not relinquish. The Commodores maintained an approximate 15 point lead throughout the second half before the Spartans gained a little life in the final five minutes to cut the final margin of victory down to 10. Vanderbilt has now won their four games this season by an average of nearly 20 points per contest.

Luke Kornet scored just five points after exploding for a career-high 24 against Tennessee State on Sunday. Damian Jones was similarly quiet. The All-SEC big man didn't attempt a shot in the paint until there were fewer than two minutes left in the first half. He had just six points, but his three blocks helped pace the Vandy defense.

That left plenty of room for LaChance (12 points), Fisher-Davis (11 points), and Baldwin (12 points, six rebounds, six assists) to shine. They were joined by James Siakam, who had his best game of the season with 11 points and seven boards. The Commodores will return to action on Friday when they head to Brooklyn to face Rutgers in the Barclays Center Classic. You can get discounted tickets through AoG here.