Vanderbilt Basketball Gets First Big Win of Season, Takes Down Wake Forest

The Commodores moved to 2-0 by beating a power conference team Thursday.

Nov 5, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores center Berke Buyuktuncel (9) reacts after a made three point basket against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the first half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NASHVILLE — Vanderbilt men’s basketball got its second win of the season Thursday night, beating Wake Forest by a score of 74-51.

It was not the cleanest start to a game Vanderbilt will have this season, but it ended up working out. The Commodores started the game out looking dysfunctional for the majority of the first half with sloppy play throughout the beginning stages.

Eventually, Vanderbilt got settled in the final few minutes of the first half. The Commodores went on a 9-0 run at the end of the first half and took a 39-27 lead into the locker room. That created plenty of separation from Wake Forest on the way to the win.

In the second half, Vanderbilt and Wake traded scoring runs. The Commodores saw their 12-point halftime lead get cut down to four points, before Vanderbilt was able to go on a run that pushed the lead back up to double digits. From then on, Vanderbilt pulled far away from Wake Forest and put the game out of reach.

To start the night, the power of Vanderbilt’s starting lineup flexed its muscle. Despite point guard Tyler Tanner not having his best start to a game, wing Chandler Bing and shooting guard Ace Glass led the way. The two combined for 19 first half points with nine from Bing and 10 from Glass.

In both halves, Vanderbilt freshman guard Ant Brown Jr. gave plenty of support off the bench. Brown Jr. hit four three-pointers and got inside the arc for another bucket for a 14-point night.

As a team, Vanderbilt shot 38.9% from the floor and made 10 of its 27 three-pointer attempts. The leading scorers for the night were Ace Glass with 16 points, Ant Brown Jr. with 14 points and Tyler Tanner with 16 points.

Where Vanderbilt really punished Wake Forest was on the glass. The Commodores controlled the rebound battle from the beginning and even out rebounded Wake Forest for what felt like a majority of the game. By the end of the night, Vanderbilt out rebounded the Demon Deacons 48-33.

Vanderbilt will be back in action Tuesday night, Nov. 10. The Commodores will host in-state rival Memphis in Memorial Gymnasium and finish up the home-and-home series that began last season. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. CT.

Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest news.