Vanderbilt 74-69 Kentucky (January 25, 2025) Game Recap

Nashville, Tenn.–Tyler Nickel’s 3-pointer with 1:50 left Vanderbilt ahead to stay as the Commodores upset a top 10 team on their home court for the second straight Saturday by beating No. 9 Kentucky 74-69.

Vanderbilt fans stormed the court again after the win, a repeat of a week ago when the Commodores (16-4, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) turned off then-no. 6 Tennessee. The first court storm led to a $250,000 fine from the league.

Jason Edwards led Vanderbilt with 18 points, Devin McGlockton added 14, Nickel finished with 11 and Jaylen Carey 10.

Kentucky (14-5, 3-3) lost consecutive games for the first time this season.

Otega Owh led the Wildcats with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Ansley Almonor had 12, Jaxson Robinson added 11.

Vanderbilt secured its first win over Kentucky at Memorial Gym since 2016.

Takeaways

Kentucky: Turnovers were the Wildcats’ undoing. They had 17 compared to just five by Vandy, and point guard Lamont Butler had six of them before going out.

Vanderbilt: First-year coach Mark Byington has helped bring the magic back to Memorial. This was the second straight sellout at the SEC’s oldest basketball arena and the Commodores’ first since the 2011-12 season.

Key moment

After leading 41-27 at halftime, Kentucky outscored the Commodores 31-10 and took its biggest lead at 58-51 lead. Vanderbilt responded with a 15-5 run to take a 66-63 lead on a steal by McGlockton and fast-break layup by Tyler Tanner with 4:05 left.

Key state

Vanderbilt scored the final six points of the game. Kentucky didn’t score after Owh’s layup with 2:56 left.

Up next

Kentucky continues its two-game road trip Tuesday night at Tennessee.

Vanderbilt is off until it starts a two-game road swing Feb. 1 at Oklahoma. ——

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