GAME NOTES: After Friday losses, the Vanderbilt Commodores and La Salle Explorers will collide at the Barclays Center Saturday in the consolation contest of the 2014 Barclays Center Classic.

Vanderbilt was previously 4-0 on the season with wins over Trevecca Nazarene, Lipscomb, Tennessee State and Norfolk State before the Commodores showed up in Brooklyn. The team fell to Rutgers, 68-65, in a tight contest Friday night.

La Salle was also 4-0 before Friday's contest in Brooklyn. The Explorers took down Colgate, Quinnipiac, Saint Peter's and St. Francis-Brooklyn to start the season, but lost to eighth-ranked Virginia, 64-56, Friday in the tournament semifinal.

These two teams have met just once before in the all-time series, with Vanderbilt claiming the only victory between the programs.

Vanderbilt and Rutgers were tied 31-31 at halftime, and then were knotted at 65-65 entering the final minute of play Friday. A jumper by the Scarlet Knights gave them a 67-65 advantage with 42 seconds to play, and the Commodores couldn't get any offense in the remaining few seconds to match Rutgers. Still, Vanderbilt shot 48 percent in the game, and was led by Damian Jones and his 23 points and six rebounds. Luke Kornet netted 14 points in the loss, while James Siakam added 10 points and six rebounds off the bench. Even though they lost, the Commodores held Rutgers to 39.3 percent shooting from the floor.

The center Jones leads Vanderbilt in three specific categories as the team heads into its sixth contest of the season. The big man is netting 17.4 ppg, and is grabbing 7.8 rpg - both team highs - along with registering 12 blocked shots. Kornet comes in at second on the team with a 12.8 ppg average, and Riley LaChance is third with a 10.8 ppg mark. As a whole, the Commodores are scoring 72.2 ppg and are holding opponents to 57.0 ppg.

Last season Virginia prided itself on defense as the Cavaliers earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It certainly looks like that's the case again this season, as UVA took a 37-19 lead into the intermission against La Salle as the Explorers shot 39.3 percent in the frame. A second-half comeback fell short for La Salle, relegating the Explorers to the consolation game. Jordan Price netted 20 points to lead his Explorers, but he was the only player that could net a double-digit scoring figure.

After Friday's performance by other members of the La Salle team, Price is also the team's lone double-digit scorer this season. His 19.4 ppg average is more than 10 points per outing higher than Steve Zack's 8.0 ppg average, which is second on the squad. Zack (8.6 rpg) and Jerrell Wright (8.2 rpg) are the team leaders on the glass this season for a La Salle team averaging 61.0 ppg and 36.2 rpg through five contests.

La Salle is going to need a bit more scoring in this contest if it wants to contend with the Commodores, and Friday's 56-point outing against Virginia backed that up. Whether Vanderbilt is demoralized about losing in such a fashion is yet to be seen, but rest assured coach Kevin Stallings will have his team ready to play Saturday.