Jones, Fisher-Davis lead Vanderbilt past Auburn, 86-57

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Damian Jones helped stake Vanderbilt to a double-digit first half lead and finished with 17 points and nine rebounds in the Commodores' 86-57 rout of Auburn on Saturday.

Matthew Fisher-Davis added 16 points for Vandy (15-10, 7-5 Southeastern Conference), which turned the game into a blowout with a scorching second half.

Jones, who had 15 points by halftime, made 8 of 12 shots and only played seven minutes in the second half. Fisher Davis hit four 3-pointers while Nolan Cressler scored 11 points and made 5 of 6 shots.

The short-handed Tigers (9-15, 3-9) lost their seventh straight game. Leading scorer Kareem Canty, who had been suspended indefinitely, announced Thursday night that he was leaving school to turn pro.

Without him, the 250-pound Cinmeon Bowers started as the point guard. Bowers had 12 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. Bryce Brown and T.J. Lang each had 14 points for the Tigers.

The Commodores had a comfortable 13-point halftime lead grow rapidly into a 20-point margin with three straight 3-pointers to open the second half, including two by Wade Baldwin. Baldwin had nine points and seven assists.

Vanderbilt outrebounded Auburn 47-38 and took good care of the ball. The Commodores dished out 21 assists and had only six turnovers.

Luke Kornet, who had Vandy's second triple double in the initial meeting of the season, had five points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. The Commodores won both games handily.

FAST START:

Jones made 7 of 8 shots for 15 points in the opening half. He and Fisher-Davis combined for 21 of Vandy's first 28 points.

HARRIS' WOES

Auburn forward Tyler Harris's struggles continued. He followed an 0-for-10 shooting night against Tennessee by missing all six first-half attempts. He was 1-of-8 shooting for four points.

RESERVE ACTION

Vandy coach Kevin Stallings used the wide margin to get plenty of reserves into the game. Nine players came off the bench to play at least two minutes.

TIP INS

Vanderbilt: Improved to 2-7 in away games and 2-4 on the road against SEC teams. Shot 49 percent.

Auburn: Shot 23.5 percent in the first half and 29 percent overall.

UP NEXT

Vanderbilt: at Mississippi State on Tuesday night.

Auburn: at Georgia on Wednesday night.