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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Auburn (No. 11 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 12 AP) finally remembered how to win on the road Wednesday night, and the Tigers' timing couldn't be better.
Daymeon Fishback, Doc Robinson, Chris Porter and Mamadou N'diaye each scored 15 points and Auburn beat Vanderbilt (No. 24 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, unranked AP) 86-80. It marked
the Tigers' first road victory after losing their last three games
away from home.
"We've had a bullseye on our back the whole year, and we're
learning how to deal with that pressure," Robinson said of Auburn,
which finishes the regular season with three of its final five
games on the road.
Trouble on the road had dropped the Tigers (20-4, 8-3
Southeastern Conference) out of the Top 10 this week for the first
time all season. But Robinson said the Tigers, who notched only the
seventh 20-victory season in Auburn's 94 years of basketball,
boosted their confidence against Vandy (16-6, 6-5).
Auburn coach Cliff Ellis was more succinct.
"It was just a big win for us," he said.
Nashville and Memorial Gym didn't seem to be the place where
Auburn would discover its winning touch.
The Tigers came in having lost nine of their last 12 games to
Vanderbilt, including their last five in Nashville. They hadn't won
in Memorial Gym since February 1990, and it looked like the skid
would continue as Auburn couldn't find the basket early.
When the Tigers, who trailed by as many as 10 points, finally
warmed up, they had trouble putting away the Commodores. There were
11 lead changes over an 18-minute stretch before Auburn finally
took the lead for good at 66-64 on a 3-pointer by Fishback with
6:35 to go.
"We didn't play bad defense," Ellis said. "We just played a
team that could score."
Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings wasn't happy that his
Commodores couldn't stop Auburn. The Tigers wound up shooting 50
percent and scored at will in the second half.
"Right now we don't guard people well enough to win games like
this. It doesn't make any difference how we shot if we don't play
well enough on defense," he said.
The Commodores tried to pull off another upset but couldn't stop
hurting themselves despite shooting 56 percent from the field. They
finished with 18 turnovers compared to a season-low eight for
Auburn.
They got within 81-78 on James Strong's layup with 17 seconds
remaining. But Auburn sealed the victory with two free throws by
N'diaye and a free throw and a dunk by Porter.
Scott Pohlman added 10 points for Auburn.
The Tigers were so cold to start the game that they hit only two
of their first 13 shots, and Porter was the worst, missing his
first five. It got so bad that Porter couldn't even roll the ball
in on a layup.
Vanderbilt couldn't miss in the first half as Dan Langhi, the
SEC's leading scorer, scored 10 of his game-high 25 points. Sam
Howard added 14 points, while Strong finished with 12 and Anthony
Williams had 11.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Auburn Clubhouse
Vanderbilt Clubhouse
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