Vanderbilt makes fans sweat, but beat Iowa State, 84-78

Vanderbilt dug themselves a hole in the first half, going through a cold stretch that allowed Iowa State to build a 26-15 lead at Memorial Gym. But the Commodores rallied and tied the game at halftime, before an 11-2 run early in the second half built a big enough lead for Vanderbilt to survive a late rally by the Cyclones to win.

Fans had to sweat it out, though: after Vanderbilt led 75-61 at the final media timeout, turnovers by the Commodores and some big shots by the Cyclones paced a rally that, a few days after the Commodores blew a 15-point lead against Arkansas in the closing minutes, had Vanderbilt fans worried they might see the same thing again. But the Commodores hung on in the final minute to improve to 10-11 on the season.

Two Commodores posted big numbers in the scoring column. Luke Kornet had 21 points, while Nolan Cressler had a Vanderbilt career high 20 (to clarify, Cressler had numerous 20-point games at Cornell but had never done it since arriving at Vanderbilt.) Jeff Roberson had 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.

After a one-game break from the SEC schedule, Vanderbilt travels to Texas A&M on Tuesday night to face the Aggies. Game time is at 8:00 PM CT on ESPNU.