Vanderbilt upsets No. 25 LSU 75-66 on Shan Foster Jersey retirement party – The Vanderbilt Hustler
Tracy J. Chappelle
2 min read
Behind 24 points from Rodney Chatman and nine assists from Scotty Pippen Jr., the Vanderbilt Commodores held off 25 LSU on Saturday.
Barrie Barto
Vanderbilt guard Scotty Pippen Jr. defends LSU in the Commodores’ win Feb. 5, 2022. (Hustler Multimedia/Barrie Barto)
With a performance worthy of Vanderbilt legend Shan Foster’s jersey retirement night, the Vanderbilt Commodores upset No. 25 LSU 75-66 behind a season-high 13 3-pointers. Senior Rodney Chatman led the way for the Commodores with six of those 3s en route to a season-high 24 points – by far the best transfer performance in the Black and Gold.
Arguably the Commodores’ best performance of the year, the win came exactly two years to the day since their last ranked victory, a upset then no. 18 LSU that ended a 26-game SEC losing streak. The Commodores, who struggled at times in the second half, held off a 16-0 second-half run from LSU to seal the deal on their fifth SEC win of the year.
After five minutes of slow action, the Commodores put it on LSU at seven 3s in the first half to build their lead. A 10-0 midterm run through Jordan Wright and Stute catapulted Vanderbilt ahead before Chatman even got going.
The Commodores moved the ball exceptionally well, making LSU pay to change every screen, and Chatman found himself open all-court. He hit four of his six 3s in the first 20 minutes of the game as Vanderbilt recorded 12 assists in the first half and kept LSU just 44% from the field. Scotty Pippen Jr. was a big reason for Vanderbilt’s early success, but not because of his score. The junior who has often spoken of being more of an enabler than a scorer recorded nine assists to just two turnovers in the win.
LSU outscored the Commodores by seven points before the first media stoppage of the second half by accelerating Vanderbilt and generating turnovers. But then Stute got hot. The second hit three of his five 3s in the second half and helped dampen the visitors’ run attempts. He finished with 17 points on the night.
After doing his Vanderbilt start against Kentucky on Wednesday, center Liam Robbins was out Saturday with an ankle injury. The Commodores missed his physical inside against LSU, but they were still able to take care of business and hope to see him back soon, according to to Robbie Weinstein.
The Commodores will be back in action Tuesday at home against Missouri at 8 p.m. CST.
