John Jenkins scored 21 points and Festus Ezeli added a career-high 18 and to lead Vanderbilt to an 86-73 win over Appalachian State on Saturday.
The Mountaineers (2-2) had cut the Vanderbilt lead to 73-69 after an Omar Carter three-point play, but the Commodores went on an 11-0 run to ensure there would be no upset.
Lance Goulbourne dunked off a set play drawn up by Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings while Carter was attempting his free-throw to start the run. Goulbourne then capped the run with a thunderous one-handed jam coming down the right side of the lane.
Goulbourne, the Commodores' sixth man, contributed 17 points and eight rebounds. Vanderbilt (5-1) shot 51.5 percent (34 of 56), including 54.8 in the second half (17 of 31), and made 9 of 22 3-point attempts.
Appalachian State's guard tandem of Carter and Donald Sims kept the Mountaineers hanging close until the final minutes. Sims finished with 27 points, including four 3-pointers, and Carter had 17.
Appalachian State used a 9-0 run to grab a 54-50 lead less than 6 minutes into the second half. Sims hit a pair of long 3-pointers and Andre Williamson got three points the old-fashioned way, scoring inside and adding a free throw.
Vanderbilt led 43-36 at the end of a well-played first half. The Commodores hit their last five 3-point attempts, including two by Jenkins. His 3-pointer from 22 feet beat the buzzer to push Vanderbilt's lead to the largest since 10-3 early in the game.
Jenkins went 6 for 7 from the field in the first half, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. He shot 8 of 11 for the game.
