Vanderbilt falls 95-71 in Bryce Drew's coaching debut

Vanderbilt basketball started the Bryce Drew coaching era with a 95-71 loss to Marquette in the Veterans Classic in Annapolis, Md., Friday night.

The Commodores allowed the most points since losing 106-44 to Kentucky on March 5, 2003.

Vanderbilt led 40-39 at halftime, but it was buried beneath Marquette’s 33-6 run to start the second half. The Golden Eagles nailed 13 3-pointers and scored 35 points off 19 Vanderbilt turnovers.

Senior Luke Kornet led Vanderbilt with 15 points, and junior Matthew Fisher-Davis added 12 points. Junior Jeff Roberson had nine points and 10 rebounds.

Rare opening loss: Vanderbilt lost its season opener for the first time since falling 86-70 to Georgetown to tip off the 2006-07 season. During the past decade of opening wins, the Commodores beat lesser opponents like Trevecca, Jacksonville State, Nicholls State and Georgia State.

Ahead at last, but not for long: Vanderbilt was tied or trailed until Nolan Cressler’s jumper earned a 40-39 lead with 25 seconds remaining in the first half. The Commodores closed that first frame with a 17-9 run, sparked by 3-pointers from Kornet and Fisher-Davis. But the lead disappeared quickly, as Marquette jumped back ahead to open the second half and ran away with the victory.

Foul trouble: Vanderbilt lost two 7-footers over the offseason. Junior Damian Jones was drafted in the first round by the Golden State Warriors, and sixth-year senior Josh Henderson graduated. With a smaller lineup, the Commodores’ big men got into early foul trouble. By the nine-minute mark of the first half, Kornet had two fouls and redshirt freshman center Djery Baptiste had three fouls.

Sloppy start: Three Vanderbilt turnovers led to three Marquette layups in the first three minutes of the game. In the first half, Marquette scored 16 of its 39 points off the Commodores’ eight turnovers. Vanderbilt’s sloppy play resurfaced in the second half, helping Marquette reel off its decisive run.

Up next: Vanderbilt will play its home opener versus Belmont at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Memorial Gym. It will be televised on SEC Network and aired on radio on 1510-AM, 560-AM and 95.9-FM. The Commodores hold a 4-0 record in the all-time series, last playing on Dec. 4, 2010, when Vanderbilt won 85-76.

Reach Adam Sparks at 615-259-8010 and on Twitter @AdamSparks.