Riley LaChance scored 24 points and led a 3-point barrage as Vanderbilt defeated LSU, 96-89, in the SEC opener for both teams Thursday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.

LaChance made 4-of-7 3-pointers and the Commodores made 16-of-32. The Tigers made 17-of-28 3-pointers, many of which came in a failed attempt to overcome a 16-point deficit.

LSU, 8-4 and playing its first game since losing at Wake Forest, 110-76, on Dec. 22, plays at Missouri on Jan. 4. The Commodores, playing their first game since a 68-63 loss at Dayton in Dec. 21, are 7-6 going into a home game against Auburn on Jan. 4.

The victory ended Vanderbilt's five-game losing streak in the series.

Matthew Fisher-Davis scored 23 for the Commodores, Luke Kornet had 14, Payton Willis 11 and Nolan Cressler 10.

Antonio Blakeney led the Tigers with 24, Wayde Sims scored 14, Brandon Sampson had 12, and Skylar Mays and Jaylen Patterson scored 11 each.

Just a few hours before the game, LSU coach Johnny Jones announced that he had dismissed starting forward Craig Victor II from the team for violation of team rules.

Victor, a junior from New Orleans, played in eight games with five starts after missing the first three games while suspended for the violation of an unspecified team rule. He was team's fourth-leading scorer (10.5).

Guard Branden Jenkins, a junior-college transfer who underwent preseason knee surgery, made his LSU debut and scored five points.

Vanderbilt saw a 16-point lead shrink to three at halftime, but quickly rebuilt it at the start of the second half.

LaChance, Kornet and Fisher-Davis each made a 3-pointer as the Commodores' lead grew to 60-49 with 15:46 left.

Joe Toye made two of Vanderbilt's four 3-pointers as the lead grew to 20 points with nine minutes remaining.

Sims made four 3-pointers as the Tigers got within 85-79 before LaChance answered with a 3-pointer with three minutes left.

LSU got within four, but the Commodores made three free throws to maintain the lead.

Fisher-Davis broke a 12-all tie by making a 3-pointer and Vanderbilt maintained the lead for the rest of the half.

The Commodores had a 24-20 lead after they made six 3-pointers and the Tigers made five.

Willis made two 3-pointers as Vanderbilt took its biggest lead of the half at 41-25.

Sampson made two 3-pointers and Blakeney made one as LSU finished with a 17-4 run to close within 45-42 at halftime.