BATON ROUGE, La. — A.J. Hoggard delivered an impressive performance by scoring 13 of his total 17 points in the second half, leading Vanderbilt to an 80-72 victory over LSU on Saturday night. This contest marked the Southeastern Conference opener for both squads.

Hoggard played a key role after halftime, sinking two three-pointers and shooting 4 of 6 from the field, culminating in a shooting percentage of 6-of-14 overall. In addition to Hoggard’s contributions, Vanderbilt also saw strong performances from bench players Jaylen Carey and MJ Collins Jr., each adding 14 points. Tyler Nickel contributed 11 points, while Jason Edwards finished with 10.

For LSU, Cam Carter emerged as a standout with 20 points, hitting four of the team’s five three-pointers. Jordan Sears and Corey Chest supported him with 17 and 12 points, respectively, while the Tigers converted half of their 48 shot attempts throughout the game.

With this victory, Vanderbilt improved its record to 13-1, extending their winning streak to seven games. Conversely, LSU fell to 11-3 and saw their home record drop to 9-1, ending a three-game win streak.

Chest contributed five points and Carter added a three-pointer during an 11-2 surge that enabled LSU to capture their only lead of the second half at 56-55 with 6:34 remaining. However, Hoggard quickly responded by scoring two three-pointers and a free throw during a 9-1 run, which allowed the Commodores to create some distance.

Vanderbilt capitalized on LSU’s mistakes, scoring 18 points off 15 turnovers and who also outperformed the Tigers on the boards, grabbing 37 rebounds to LSU’s 27.

Looking ahead, LSU will face Missouri on Tuesday while Vanderbilt is set to host No. 17 Mississippi State on the same day.