NASHVILLE, Tenn. - In a battle of the Joneses, Texas A&M's Jalen Jones couldn't keep up with Vanderbilt's Damian Jones, and that was the difference in the Commodores' 77-60 victory over the eighth-ranked Aggies at Memorial Gymnasium on Thursday.

Vanderbilt center Damian Jones scored 13 points, snatched 10 rebounds and blocked five shots, and made life miserable for A&M guard/forward Jalen Jones, who hit only 1-of-13 shots and scored four points.

Forward Jeff Roberson, a Texas native, added a game-high 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting for Vanderbilt.

It was the biggest win of the year for the Commodores and snapped a 13-game losing streak against ranked opponents.

Vanderbilt, ranked in both polls to start the season, had been blown out in two of their previous games and entered the night on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, according to most prognosticators. Vandy coach Kevin Stallings said he'd refused to play it up as a "must-win" game, though admitted to acknowledging it in other ways.

"Did we talk about the urgency? I did say one thing to them yesterday, our thought of the day on every practice plan. 'If not now, when? If not now, when?' So, they responded. It was a beautiful thing. It was awesome to watch," Stallings said.

"I've got a good friend who said when Kevin Stallings' back's against the wall, it's not a good time to come play them. You've got to give them credit," A&M coach Billy Kennedy remarked. "I thought Jones set the table for them inside and was very aggressive."

Leading by seven at the break, Vanderbilt went on a 7-0 run out of the locker room to take a 49-33 lead. Moments later, that increased to 53-35 when point guard Wade Baldwin IV nailed a 16-foot jumper on a fast break.

"I thought Wade Baldwin, every time we had a chance to separate, they made some really good plays and he did a good job of dictating both ends of the floor," Kennedy said.

With four Vanderbilt starters on the bench, the Aggies cut the deficit to 56-45 on a free throw by forward Tonny Trocha-Morelos. But Stallings went to the bench and brought those four back, and when forward Luke Kornet and guard Riley LaChance hit 3-pointers, the lead extended to 17 again with under eight minutes to play.

The Aggies (18-4, 7-2 SEC) never got the lead into single-digits again.

Vanderbilt (13-9, 5-4) sprinted out to a scorching start, leading 14-1 in the blink of an eye thanks to a pair of treys from Kornet.

But the Aggies punched back, tying the contest halfway through the half thanks to a pair of Trocha-Morelos 3-pointers from the right side.

Moments later, guard Admon Gilder hit a three to give the Aggies their first lead at 26-23.

But the Commodores went on an 8-1 run to end the half, taking a 40-33 lead punctuated by Baldwin's three from straight away just before time expired.

Stallings gave credit to his Jones for the job he did at both ends, but acknowledged that the defensive effort on A&M's Jones was part of a team effort.

"We were running a double team at (him). Jalen Jones is such a great offensive player. We were running two guys at him when we could and trying to trap the ball out of his hands when we could, because he's such an explosive offensive player," he said.

Baldwin (17 points, eight assists, one turnover) said a team meeting helped clear the way for Vanderbilt's best game of the season.

"We met as a group and kinda regrouped as a team, got some things off our chest that we needed to say, sort out problems as a team at a group meeting. A great three days of preparation we had in practice, and with that meeting, it showed up in today's game," he said. "We're just trying to continue that trend of talking on any issue we have, playing with more intensity, being more together as a team."

It's just the second loss for the Aggies since Dec. 5. Trocha-Morelos led the Aggies with 13 points.

NOTES: Vanderbilt F Luke Kornet hit a 3 on the game's first possession, extending Vanderbilt's streak of games with a made 3-pointer to 953. The Commodores hit 13-of-29 behind the arc. … A&M G/F Jalen Jones was 1-for-9 in the first half. His four points was a season-low and snapped a string of 13-straight double-figure scoring games. … The teams combined to go 13-for-30 on 3-pointers in the first half. … Kornet (14 points, nine rebounds) just missed his fourth double-double of the season.