Tyler Nickel hit a remarkable 8 of 10 3-point shots on his way to 26 points, and No. 13 Vanderbilt steamrolled Wake Forest 98-67 on Sunday in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Nickel’s eight triples tied a career high for the senior; six came during a 20-point first half. Vanderbilt (12-0) never trailed and made a season-high 59.3% of its field goals (35 of 59), including half of its 32 shots from the arc.
The Commodores also enjoyed big days from Duke Miles (17 points, nine assists, five steals), Tyler Harris (14 points) and Tyler Tanner (11 points, seven assists, five steals). Devin McGlockton joined Tanner with 11 points and added a team-high seven rebounds.
Nickel alone made twice as many 3-pointers as Wake Forest did as a team. The hosts shot a paltry 4 of 21, but went 25 of 32 from the free-throw line.
Myles Colvin had 20 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to pace the Demon Deacons (9-4). Juke Harris had 19 points and six boards.
Wake lost 17 turnovers, which Vanderbilt converted into 24 points.
Vanderbilt made four of its first five attempts from deep, three by Nickel, to establish a 14-5 lead by the first TV timeout. Miles took a chance from near the edge of the Wake Forest midcourt logo and swished it for a 20-8 Commodores lead.
Tanner’s steal and one-handed slam put Vanderbilt ahead 31-16, and a few more 3-pointers from Nickel helped the visitors lead by as many as 18 points late in the first half.
Wake Forest began to get into gear and Harris’ 3-pointer with 17 seconds left helped make it 54-37 at the break.
When Nickel hit back-to-back 3-pointers 33 seconds apart early in the second half, the Commodores went ahead 64-39 with 17 minutes to go.
The rest of the game was about the Demon Deacons attempting to make the deficit less egregious. Vanderbilt outshot Wake Forest in the second half by a considerable margin, 64% (16 of 25) to 36% (9 of 25).
