NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Mouphtaou Yarou scored 16 points to lead Villanova to a 62-52 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Yarou made 10 of 12 free throws and JayVaughn Pinkston added 13 off the bench as the Wildcats (4-3) snapped a three-game losing streak.
The Wildcats led by eight early in the second half, but the Commodores pulled to within 46-44 with 7:18 left. Vanderbilt (2-4) made just two baskets the rest of the way and shot just 36.4 percent (8 of 22) after halftime.
Villanova also blitzed the Commodores on the boards, outrebounding them 34-28. Vanderbilt finished with just four offensive rebounds - all coming in the first half.
Rod Odom led the Commodores with 14 points. Kedren Johnson added 12. Freshman Kevin Bright notched his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
The teams had met just once before. Villanova defeated Vanderbilt 80-73 for the 1994 NIT championship.
