Thornton Continues Strong Play in Vanderbilt Victory Over Tulane 12/7/02

Sophomore center Brian Thornton continued to be Vanderbilt's go-to guy underneath early on this season, and this was indicative by his performance on Saturday evening. In Vanderbilt's, 66-46, triumph over Conference USA foe Tulane, Thornton poured in a career-high 20 points.

The native of Louisville, Ky. led the Commodores in scoring for the second time this season; however, the first time outright in the victory. Thornton had a superb evening shooting, finishing 8-for-14 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line. Thornton and forwards Corey Smith and Matt Freije dominated the Green Wave inside the paint, as they combined for 44 points.

Thornton's career high prior to tonight's game came was 18 points, which he has had twice this season. His previous 18-point effort came against East Tennessee State this past Wednesday.

"He (Brian Thornton) is a good player," Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings said. "Our guys do a good job of looking for him. He knows how to use his body. He has great hands and has nice touch in there (inside the paint). We thought going into the season that he was one of the most improved players on the team, and he certainly has played that way recently."

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