NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Let the record note that the autumn of 2023 had its moments for Presbyterian College athletics.

The Blue Hose don’t win that often. They stun. They shock. And basketball just started. It might become a habit.

In front of 5,508 at Memorial Gymnasium, most of which likely wish they weren’t there, Presbyterian, led by Jamahri Harvey with 13 points and Jonah Pierce with seven rebounds, upended Vanderbilt , 68-62. The Blue Hose outshot the Commodores from the floor, from beyond the three-point arc and at the free-throw line.

When’s the last time such a Blue Hose miracle occurred? When one considers that Presbyterian entered the season opener bearing the burden of NCAA Division I’s longest active losing streak – 18 games – maybe never.

The most recent comparable upset occurred when Gregg Nibert’s team won, 56-54, at the University of Cincinnati on Nov. 19, 2011.

Quenton Ferrell’s team finished 5-27 last year and was picked last in the Big South recently. Six players on that roster are still on this one. Harvey was at UNC Wilmington last season. Pierce was at Francis Marion.

PC’s football team stunned Wofford, 23-20, on Sept. 16. On the one hand, the Terriers are currently 0-9. On the other, Wofford awards football scholarships. Presbyterian has managed to win just one football game since.

Presbyterian awards scholarships in its other sports, but Vanderbilt is in the Southeastern Conference.

The SEC! Jerry Stackhouse’s team was 22-15 last season, 11-7 in the conference and advanced to the third round of the National Invitation Tournament.

What does this mean? Time will tell. It won’t tell much Thursday, when the Blue Hoe entertain Columbia International, which, despite being international, is in Columbia, but a home game on Monday night versus The Citadel might offer further insight.

With 11:49 remaining in the former half, Vanderbilt (0-1) led by 10 points. With 6:06 remaining the latter, Presbyterian led by 15. In the latter half, the Commodores shot .310 from the field and .278 in three-pointers. PC shot .625 and .750. The Blue Hose popped 11/14 free throws.

Such numbers do not often foster comebacks.

Vanderbilt never got closer than four points (66-62), and that was with 10 seconds left on the clock.

“We played great,” stated Harvey to PC Communications’ Brent Stastny. “We prepared for this. We thought if we played hard, things would go in our favor, and that’s what we did.

“But defense wins games. That’s what kept us in it in the first half. We locked in on defense.”

Senior guard Crosby James scored 11 points, including shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the three-point arc. Junior forward Kaleb Scott scored 10 points, including 4-for-5 from the field. Junior forward Jonah Pierce scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds. Junior guard Samage Teel scored eight points off the bench.

The Blue Hose’s decisive 11-0 run began with the score tied at 38 with 11:27 left in the second half when James scored 11 unanswered points with three threes and a driving layup which pushed PC in front, 49-38, with 9:03 on the clock.

Three straight baskets from Presbyterian’s Kobe Stewart – his only three — pushed the Blue Hose in front, 36-34, with 13:13 on the clock. The two teams exchanged baskets over the next two minutes until PC took the lead for good after James scored 11 straight points giving the Blue Hose a 49-38 lead with nine minutes left in the game.

PC enjoyed its largest lead of the game when Pierce scored inside, giving the Blue Hose a 57-42 lead with six minutes on the clock. Presbyterian maintained a double-figure lead for the most part unti,l with 36 seconds on the clock, Vanderbilt scored five straight points, cutting PC’s lead to 64-59.

Vanderbilt got within four points of the Blue Hose, but timely free throw shooting from Harvey and Barnett closed it out.

Presbyterian finished the game with a 28-16 advantage in bench points and a 36-18 advantage in points in the paint.

Guard Ezra Manjon led Vandy with 19 points, and Carter Lang grabbed 11 rebounds. The Commodores outrebounded the Blue Hose, 41-33. Both teams committed 15 turnovers, but PC outscored Vandy, 36-18, in the paint and 28-16 off the bench.

Take a look at the statistics here.

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