Vanderbilt's Damian Jones (30 in black) prepares for the opening tip against Wake Forest's Devin Thomas (2 in white).
In a high-intensity game of the kind that would belie the final score, it was the Commodores’ defense that set the tone in leading VU past the Demon Deacons 86-64 and into the Maui Invitational finals, where Vanderbilt will face the winner between No. 5 Kansas and UCLA Wednesday.
Damian Jones led the charge with 17 points and 10 rebounds while shoring up the Commodores’ interior defense despite first half foul trouble for Luke Kornet. In front of numerous NBA scouts, Jones dropped in multiple baskets out of the post in the first period while Wade Baldwin IV finished a pair of contested shots at the rim.