Tyler Nickel matched a career high by scoring 24 points as Vanderbilt constantly found holes in the nation’s top-ranked scoring defense and pulled away in the second half for a 76-60 victory over Seton Hall in the semifinals of the Charleston Classic Friday in South Carolina.
Off to their best start since starting 2007-08 with 16 straight wins, the Commodores (6-0) will face Drake in the championship game on Sunday night.
Nickel made 8 of 16 shots and hit a career-high six 3s after missing five of six field goal attempts in Thursday’s two-point win over Nevada.
Devin McGlockton added 13 and Jason Edwards contributed 10 as Vanderbilt shot 51.9 percent, hit 10 3s and converted 13 layups against a defense that entered the game allowing 50.6 points.
Isaiah Coleman scored 20 for Seton Hall (3-3), which was unable to follow up its impressive overtime win over VCU in the opening round. Coleman was the only double-figure scorer for the Pirates as leading scorer Chaunce Jenkins was held to three points on 1-of-7 shooting after scoring 22 points Thursday.
Seton Hall committed 16 turnovers, was held to 60 points or fewer for the fifth time and shot a dreadful 36.5 percent. The Pirates will face Florida Atlantic in the third-place game on Sunday.
Vanderbilt scored 11 straight points as part of a 15-2 run that spanned 5:50 and opened a 26-15 lead on a 3 by Nickel with 5:42 left. Nickel sank two more 3s in the final three minutes, and Vanderbilt took a 38-28 halftime lead after A.J. Hoggard made a bad foul on Dylan Addae-Wusu, who hit three free throws with three-tenths of a second left.
Nickel hit his fifth 3 to give Vanderbilt a 47-36 lead with 16:41 left and his sixth triple opened a 52-38 edge a little more than a minute later. Vanderbilt continued pouring it on as Nickel rested, and the Commodores scored nine straight points to take a 66-45 lead on a layup by MJ Collins with 9:57 left.
–Field Level Media
