The Vanderbilt basketball (19-9, 7-8) ended a six-game road losing streak in the SEC by taking down No. 12 Texas A&M (20-8, 9-6) in College Station. The Commodores used strong defense, sharpshooting and clutch free throws to claim their fourth victory over a ranked team this year and solidify their NCAA Tournament standing.

Vanderbilt took a two-point lead into the break, thrusting them into the same position the ‘Dores were in on the road against Tennessee, Florida and Oklahoma. First year head coach Mark Byington’s messaging is taking hold as the Commodores learned from the errors of past games to grind out the second half and claim an 86-84 win over Texas A&M.

Forward Tyler Nickel shouldered Vanderbilt’s offensive load scoring 21 points on a career-high seven made 3-point shots. Nickel’s long-range efforts helped Vanderbilt retake the lead in the second half and close out the upset win. Guard MJ Collins added 16 points with four rebounds and two assists while Commodores’ leading scorer on the year Jason Edwards added 15 points, despite falling into foul trouble.

Vanderbilt’s struggled to get defensive stops late in games against some of the best teams in the SEC this season, but that wasn’t the case on Wednesday. The Aggies shot 37 percent from the floor and Texas A&M’s leading scorer on the year Wade Taylor IV put up 21 points, but did it inefficiently on three-of-10 shooting.

The victory keeps Vanderbilt in 10th position in the SEC standings with three games remaining. The Commodores return home on Saturday to take on No. 15 Missouri at 5 p.m. CT.