Clarke was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points, 16 of them coming in the second half. Clarke shot six-for-nine from 3-point range on the night.

The first half was a defensive struggle for both teams as the Bulldogs (10-2) shot only 35.5 percent from the field.

The Commodores (5-6) limited Butler to just two threes on 12 attempts in the first half, and the Bulldogs went to the locker room with a 25-22 halftime lead.

Butler’s offense came to life early in the second half and matched the performance of its team defense.

The Bulldogs went on a 14-3 run in the opening minutes of the second half to take a double-digit lead they would never relinquish.

Freshman guard Kellen Dunham added 12 points off the bench and knocked in two second-half threes.

Junior forward Khyle Marshall lead both squads with 11 rebounds while contributing nine points.

Sophomore forward Kameron Woods recorded nine rebounds.

The win over Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Conference gives Butler its fifth win over a “Power Six” conference school this season.

The Bulldogs pulled off wins over Marquette of the Big East and North Carolina of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the Maui Invitational in November.

Butler defeated Northwestern and Indiana of the Big Ten earlier this month.

The Bulldogs will be back home to play Pennsylvania (2-9) of the Ivy League on Wednesday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

Butler defeated the Quakers 63-53 in a CBI tournament quarterfinal in Philadelphia last season.