By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Abi Ramsey scored 14 points, and No. 21 Vanderbilt downed Kentucky 60-41 Thursday night in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament.

The seventh-seeded Commodores (21-7) will play 19th-ranked Auburn in the second round Friday night. Kentucky (11-17) ended its first season under coach Mickie DeMoss with its worst shooting performance — 26.2 percent.

Jenni Benningfield added 12 points for Vanderbilt, which won this tournament the last time it was held in Nashville in 2002. Hillary Hager added 11 points.

Sese Helm made the first of two free throws in the opening minute, and that was the only time Kentucky led. The Wildcats fell to 0-9 against ranked opponents this season.

Benningfield scored, and Hager added a 3-pointer for a 5-1 lead, and Vanderbilt just kept building on that en route to its fifth straight victory and eighth straight against Kentucky. The Wildcats missed nine of their first 10 shots with Helm going 0-for-5 and Sara Potts hitting just one of her first five.

Potts had 17 points for the Wildcats.

Vanderbilt quickly led by 10 points and was up 33-20 at halftime off another 3-pointer from Hager, the SEC’s fourth-best 3-point shooter.

Kentucky made just 16 of 61 shots. The Wildcats’ previous low in shooting had been 28.4 percent in a loss to Georgia in January.

The Wildcats’ best stop came at the opening of the second half, when they forced Vanderbilt into a shot clock violation. But the Wildcats didn’t help themselves, missing seven of their first 10 shots after the break.

Vanderbilt came in as the nation’s third-best 3-point shooting team, and the Commodores hit 8-of-21, which was more than enough. They eventually led by as much as 60-36 on a pair of free throws by Katy Antony with 4:41 to go.