Windler leads Belmont in an upset of Vanderbilt, 69-60

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Dylan Windler scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Amanze Egekeze added 22 points to lead Belmont to a 69-60 upset of Vanderbilt on Monday night.
The Bruins (1-1) led much of the way, delighting a Division I era record crowd of 5,266 at Curb Event Center in a matchup of two Nashville schools.
Bemont earned its fourth win over a Southeastern Conference team and won for the 91st time in its last 97 home games.
Vanderbilt’s Jeff Roberson posted his second straight double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Saben Lee scored a team-high 19 points for the Commodores (1-1), who beat Austin Peay in Friday’s opener.
Vanderbilt made only 4 of 23 from 3-point range and the Bruins outscored the Commodores 32-20 in points in the paint. Belmont jumped out to a 32-27 lead at halftime.
The Bruins led most of the way in Friday’s 86-82 loss at Washington, but the Huskies closed with a 23-10 run.
BIG PICTURE
Vanderbilt’s long-range shooters struggled and the Commodores took a step backward after winning their opener.
Belmont added to its giant-killer reputation with another win over an SEC team.
BIG COMMITMENT: Vanderbilt got some good news on the recruiting trail nearly four hours before tip-off when Brentwood Academy’s Darius Garland, one of the nation’s top point guard prospects, committed to the Commodores. The 6-foot-2 senior picked Vanderbilt over UCLA, Kentucky, Indiana, Duke and Kansas.
”The pros: staying at home, of course, being around family, just having the ball in my hands,” said Garland, whose older brother, Miguel, was an assistant coach at Valparaiso under Bryce Drew before he took the Vanderbilt job. Garland developed a bond with Drew after attending one of his camps in third grade.
Garland is ranked as the nation’s No. 3 point guard, according to 247 Sports. The two-time Tennessee Mr. Basketball averaged 23.4 points and 4.5 steals for BA (30-2) last season, leading the Eagles to their third straight Division II-AA state title.
His father, Winston played in the NBA between 1987-95.
ANTHEM SINGER
Recording artist Julianna Zobrist, wife of Chicago Cubs utilityman Ben Zobrist (2016 World Series MVP), sang the national anthem. The couple met while Julianna was a Belmont student and they live in Franklin, just south of Nashville.
UP NEXT
Vanderbilt hosts North Carolina-Asheville on Friday to face the Bulldogs, who were picked to win the Big South Conference at the league media day.
Belmont visits Middle Tennessee on Thursday in a matchup against the Blue Raiders, who set a school record for wins with a 31-5 record that included a win over Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.