Forwards Jeff Roberson and Clevon Brown and guard Riley LaChance each scored 13 points as Vanderbilt cruised to a 73-54 win over Austin Peay at Nashville's Memorial Gymnasium in the season opener for each team on Friday night.

Austin Peay freshman guard Terry Taylor had 15 points in his collegiate debut to lead all scorers.

After a sluggish offensive start to the second half, the Commodores' 41-21 halftime lead was reduced to 51-42 after Taylor's drive, bank and free throw with 8:51 left.

But Brown hit a layup after a Roberson assist for a three-point play. After Deyshawn Martin answered for Austin Peay with a layup, LaChance canned a 3-pointer from the right corner and Vandy maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

It was a tight first half until Vandy's bench, led by Brown and guards Saben Lee and Payton Willis, broke the game open.

With Vanderbilt clinging to a 23-19 lead, Willis hit two foul shots and then Brown scored a fast-break dunk.

Moments later, Willis helped extend the lead to 12 after back-to-back 3-pointers, one coming off an assist by Lee.

The 6-foot-2 Lee had the biggest highlight of the first half, throwing down a thunderous, one-handed dunk over 6-foot-6 Austin Peay guard Acoydian McCarthy via a Willis steal.

It was the coaching debut for Austin Peay's Matt Figger, who was an assistant at South Carolina last year.

Vanderbilt guard Matthew Fisher-Davis, who led the team with 13.9 points per game last year, sat out with an ankle injury. He's expected back soon.

Roberson hit a 3-pointer for Vandy's first points of the season. It was the 1,000th straight game in which the Commodores have connected from behind the arc. They have hit a 3-pointer in every game since the shot's institution.