The Jaguars also had four players in double figures, led by Demetric Bennett with 25. Dominic Tilford had 20, followed by Ronald Douglas with 17 and Daon Merritt with 13.
Vanderbilt freshman sensation A.J. Ogilvy was whistled for two fouls in the first 33 seconds of the game. He was only able to play seven minutes in the first half but did score eight points and grab three rebounds. The game was tied at halftime 35-35. The first half of this game featured 7 lead changes and 3 ties.
The Commodores were down eight points midway through the second half. They rallied to take a 71-69 lead with 4:18 remaining in regulation. The Commodore rally was led by Foster who hit five three-pointers in a span of seven minutes.
The Jaguars forced overtime when Ronald Douglas tipped back a Daon Merritt miss with less than one second remaining in regulation.
The Commodores built an 80-78 lead with just under two minutes remaining in the first overtime. Ronald Douglas made a layup on South Alabama’s next possession to tie the game. Neither team was able to score in the remaining 2:15 of the first extra period. Vanderbilt had a chance to win as time expired, but an Alex Gordon three-pointer was blocked by Douglas.
Vanderbilt took the lead for good when Ross Neltner hit a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left in the second overtime to give the Commodores an 84-81 lead.
South Alabama had one last chance to tie the game in the second overtime, but B.J. Ford missed a three-pointer as time expired.
The Commodores will put their 6-0 record on the line on Saturday against Georgia Tech at Memorial Gym. That game tips off at noon. A win will probably give the Commodores their first top 25 appearance of the 2007-2008 season.