Parker, Taylor lead NC State over Vanderbilt 84-78 at Vegas Showdown

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JaQualon Roberts throws down the putback slam for Vandy

JaQualon Roberts throws down the putback slam for Vanderbilt.

Nov 24, 2023, 05:24 am

LAS VEGAS -- — Freshman Dennis Parker Jr. and Jayden Taylor finished with 18 points apiece and NC State defeated Vanderbilt 84-78 at the Vegas Showdown on Thursday night.

Parker came off the bench to sink 7 of 10 shots with two 3-pointers, adding nine rebounds to help the Wolfpack (4-0) advance to Friday's championship game against the winner of the nightcap between BYU and Arizona State. Parker added two assists and blocked two shots. Taylor made 6 of 12 shots with a 3-pointer.

DJ Burns Jr. pitched in with 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals for NC State. Casey Morsell had 12 points and five boards.

Tyrin Lawrence had 21 points, seven rebounds and four steals for the Commodores (3-2), who will play the loser of the nightcap before tomorrow's title game. Ven-Allen Lubin added 16 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Jason Rivera-Torres came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers and score 12.

Burns and Parker had nine points, Morsell scored eight and NC State took a 43-33 lead into halftime. Both teams shot 41.4% in the first half and both made just 2 of 11 from 3-point range. DJ Horne's layup gave NC State an 18-17 lead midway through the half, Burns followed with a layup and the Wolfpack never trailed again.

Lubin's dunk capped an 8-0 run to begin the second half and the Commodores trailed 43-41 with 17:12 remaining. Morsell made two free throws and Parker sank a 3-pointer in a 9-0 run and NC State pulled away for a final time.

NC State made 6 of 8 shots from distance after halftime, while Vanderbilt hit 5 of 11.

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