Auburn basketball's bench has been getting all the recent praise, and rightfully so.

From a revelation like Chad Baker-Mazara to a couple of improved veterans such as KD Johnson and Dylan Cardwell, the reserves form what is arguably the best second unit in the country. That group has consistently propelled the Tigers to big wins this season, beating up on opposing teams − both backups and starters.

But the bench lost an early five-point advantage against Vanderbilt (5-12, 0-4 SEC) in Memorial Gymnasium on Wednesday. It was an uncharacteristic showing for a squad that typically extends leads, and rarely, if ever, blows them. Courtesy of some efficient shooting and a lot of stingy team defense, though, the Tigers (15-2, 4-0) were able to overcome the bench's early gaffe and top the Commodores, 80-65.

Auburn remains undefeated in conference play, and its winning streak dating back to Dec. 9 is up to 10 games.

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A big response from Auburn basketball after briefly trailing

Coach Bruce Pearl made a full line change at the game's first timeout, putting his bench on the floor with a 12-7 lead. The Commodores responded by jumping in front, 16-14, before Pearl reinserted some of his starters.

The result was a 27-8 run over the first half's final 12:32. Vanderbilt missed 13 of its 16 shots over that stretch.

Jaylin Williams has perfect game versus Commodores

Need a 3-pointer? Jaylin Williams can do it. What about a score in the post? The senior can handle it. A put-back dunk, perhaps? Williams is capable of that, too, as he accomplished all of the above in the opening 20 minutes on the way to an unblemished first half.

Williams continued that sweet shooting into the second half. He made all seven of his shots − two triples included − and connected on each of his five attempts from the foul line to finish with a team-high 21 points.

Commodores forced into clunky offense

Vanderbilt opened the game 7-for-11 from the field. The Commodores finished with a 37.7% mark from the floor and a 22.2% rate from beyond the arc.

What's next on Auburn basketball's schedule?

The Tigers will return home for a matchup with Ole Miss in Neville Arena. The Rebels (15-2, 2-2) began the season 13-0, but they've since lost a couple of games against Tennessee on Jan. 6 and LSU on Wednesday.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball handles Vanderbilt, stays unbeaten in SEC play