NASHVILLE, Tenn. — WKU could not rally after slow first half Wednesday night at Vanderbilt, and the Hilltoppers dropped their third-straight game, 82-62. Only three players scored in WKU's 17-point opening 20 minutes, and the team shot 28.6 percent from the field and turned the ball over 16 times before halftime. The Hilltoppers are now 3-4 on the season, and Vanderbilt improves to 6-1 overall.
Juan Pattillo had 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Hilltoppers, and Sergio Kerusch and Caden Dickerson each contributed 12. Dickerson was 3-for-6 from three-point range and had four steals on the defensive end. Steffphon Pettigrew scored four points in the game, snapping his streak of 13-straight games in double figures. Vanderbilt was led by John Jenkins' 21 points and Festus Ezeli's 14. Jenkins hit five three-pointers in the game.
WKU turned the ball over on its first four possessions of the contest, setting the tone for the rest of the half. Vanderbilt led 10-2 after Jeffery Taylor connected on a three-pointer and went up 14-6 mid-way through the half, as WKU was hampered by a stretch of six-plus minutes from 14:27 to 8:00 without a field goal.
After Kerusch brought the game within nine points at 19-10 after a layup, Vanderbilt went on a 16-3 run near the end of the half to widen the gap. The Hilltoppers got two baskets with under 22 seconds left before intermission to make the halftime score 35-17 in favor of the Commodores. Pattillo had eight points in the first half, Dickerson had five and Kerusch put in four to account for WKU's first-half production.
The Hilltoppers responded after halftime and scored six of the half's first eight points but would get no closer than 13 the remainder of the contest. Vanderbilt had the lead up to 20 on three occasions near the 10-minute mark of the second half and went up by as many as 24 at 74-50 with 3:42 left to play.
WKU improved on its first half shooting and scored at a 50.0 percent clip in the second half. The Hilltoppers shot 40.0 percent for the game, compared to Vanderbilt's 52.6 percent from the field. Vanderbilt hit 11 three-pointers in the game and outrebounded WKU, 34-32. WKU has now been outrebounded in five-straight games and is 1-4 in that stretch.
The Commodores turned the ball over 23 times in the game, and WKU had a season-high 22 miscues.
Vanderbilt has now won 11 of the last 12 meetings in the series.
WKU hits the hardwood next on Saturday when it travels to 14th-ranked Memphis for a 7:00 PM battle. The game will be televised by CSS.
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