NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - Brian Thornton matched a career-high with 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Vanderbilt bounced back from its first loss of the season with an 86-75 victory over East Tennessee State on Wednesday. <br>
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The Commodores (4-1) were able to overcome a sluggish start in the second half to get the victory three days after falling to No. 11 Connecticut. <br>
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ETSU (1-3) lost its third straight game, all on the road. <br>
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Junior Matt Freije matched Thornton with 18 points for Vanderbilt, and center David Przybyszewski scored 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Scott Hundley had 11 points and three assists off the bench. <br>
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Ryan Lawson led East Tennessee State with a season-high 18 points. Tiras Wade added 13 points and Jerald Fields scored 11 and grabbed five rebounds. <br>
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Vanderbilt hit eight 3-pointers, shooting 50 percent. <br>
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The Commodores scored just one point in the first six minutes of the second half, but a 12-2 run with seven minutes remaining gave Vanderbilt a 77-60 lead and put the game out of reach. <br>
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Jason Holwerda knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers and Freije had an alley-oop dunk during the run. <br>
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Vanderbilt exploited its advantage inside early, ripping off a 10-0 run to build a 15-9 lead. All 10 points were scored on dunks and layups, with Thornton contributing the first three buckets. <br>
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Lawson kept East Tennessee State close late in the first half. He made four 3-pointers in the half and had 16 points at halftime. <br>
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The Commodores shot 56 percent in the first half and forced 14 Buccaneer turnovers. The win was Vanderbilt's fourth in four years over East Tennessee State.
