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  • Tyler Nickel Has A Career Night To Help Vanderbilt Squeak By Texas A&M On The Road

Tyler Nickel Has A Career Night To Help Vanderbilt Squeak By Texas A&M On The Road

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Basketball

Tyler Nickel connected on a career-best seven 3-pointers Wednesday on his way to a team-high 21 points to help lift Vanderbilt to an 86-84 SEC men’s basketball victory over No. 12 Texas A&M at Reed Arena.

Nickel shot 7-of-13 from beyond the arc to post his second 20-point game of the season, with MJ Collins Jr. adding 16 points and Jason Edwards 15. Devin McGlockton recorded his 10th game of the campaign with a double-figure rebounding total after pacing the Commodores (19-9, 7-8 SEC) with 10.

Tyler Tanner scored all nine of his points in the second half, while Jaylen Carey chipped in with eight points and five rebounds and Chris Mañon finished with six of each.

Pharrel Payne and Wade Taylor IV led the Aggies (20-8, 9-6 SEC) with 23 and 21 points, respectively, and Andersson Garcia was credited with a game-high 11 rebounds as well.

Vandy made twice as many 3-point field goals as Texas A&M after shooting 10-of-24 from deep, committing just seven turnovers while the Dores’ reserves outscored the Aggie bench 40-15.

Neither team led by more than three points through the first half of the opening period until an 8-0 run capped by back-to-back Nickel 3-point field goals in a 26-second stretch put Vandy up 21-14. The Commodore lead grew to as many as 12 points on two occasions before the break, but the Aggies did not allow a field goal over the final 4:54 of the opening half to cut the deficit to two after 20 minutes.

A Payne three-point play with just over 17 minutes remaining gave Texas A&M its first lead since the 12:43 mark of the first half, however when Collins Jr. sank a pull-up jumper with 11 and a half minutes to go Vandy would lead the rest of the way.

Texas A&M finished with a 44-36 rebounding advantage, with 18 offensive rebounds leading to 22 second-chance points.

The Dores will be back in Nashville Saturday at 5 p.m. to play host to No. 14 Missouri in the first of back-to-back contests at Memorial Gymnasium. The game can be seen on SEC Network, and Vanderbilt’s Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be recognized on the floor during halftime festivities.