Festus Ezeli led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds and John Jenkins added 18 points as Vanderbilt got the better of Georgia, 73-66, on Wednesday.

Jeffery Taylor chipped in 15 points for the Commodores (12-3, 1-1 SEC), who got to the free throw line 35 times in the contest, converting 25.

Vanderbilt, which dropped out of the Top 25 after an overtime loss at South Carolina on Saturday, went straight to work in the first half against UGA. They scored the first two baskets and never let the Bulldogs take the lead. Georgia pulled to within 19-18, but the Commodores used a 14-4 burst to extend the lead and headed into halftime up 40-32.

The Bulldogs (12-3, 1-1) hung around in the second half and trimmed the deficit to 56-53 on a pair of Gerald Robinson free throws with 10:34 left. But Vanderbilt scored the next seven points to reestablish control.

The Commodores head to Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday to face an inconsistent but dangerous Volunteers team before coming home next week for dates with Mississippi and Saint Mary’s.