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Home > SECWB News & More! > Our Staff & Contributors > LeAnne Harrington > Vanderbilt vs. Montana Recap
Vanderbilt vs. Montana Recap
by LeAnne Harrington, SECWB.com
Posted: March 24th, 2008 @ 1:09am
Source: see Box Score
Any doubts about which Vanderbilt team would show up to begin NCAA play were dispelled in the Commodores’ first round dismissal of the Montana Grizzlies by a score of 75-47. Vanderbilt, which ended the regular season averaging almost 73 points per game, had played sluggishly in their two games at the SEC tournament, scoring only 49 in their quarterfinal win over Auburn, and then following that with a 48 point total in their semifinal loss to the Tennessee Lady Vols, both season lows. After a two-week layoff in which they had some great practices, the Commodores came out in their first round NCAA game loose, confident, and clicking on all cylinders.
Vanderbilt had a balanced scoring attack, with freshman center Hannah Tuomi tying a career high with 14 points in only twenty minutes of play. Junior Christina Wirth added 13 points and 5 rebounds, also seeing 20 minutes of action, and senior center Liz Sherwood added 12 points in 18 minutes. Montana, making their 17th NCAA appearance, was overmatched in both size and speed. Vandy outscored the Grizzlies in the paint 38-18, and scored 27 points off of 22 Montana turnovers. In fact, Montana had more turnovers (22) than they had field goals (15) for the game. Grizzly coach Robin Selvig blamed it on Vanderbilt’s quickness, adding, “you can’t simulate it in practice.” Montana was led by guard Mandy Morales with 11 points and 8 rebounds. She was the only double-digit scorer for the Grizzlies.
Vanderbilt knew they would have their hands full in this first-round matchup, as Montana entered the game as the fifth best team in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage behind the top 3-point shooter in the country, senior guard Sonya Rogers, who entered the game averaging 48.6% from behind the arc. Rogers eventually connected on two of her four 3-point attempts, but Vandy held the Grizzlies to 25% from outside for the game on 4-of-16 shooting. Montana connected on 39.1% of their shots in the first half, but the Commodores shut them down in the second, holding them to 21.4% from the field. Vandy also did well on the boards, outrebounding Montana 45-37.
With a young team that features two freshmen and a sophomore in the starting lineup, coach Melanie Balcomb says the team has adopted the motto “No Pressure” to alleviate just that which naturally comes from the expectations put on a talented team which set a new school record for conference wins with 11. Pressure naturally comes from carrying on a proud tradition of post-season success that has been building at Vanderbilt since the late 1980s. This squad is the ninth straight Vanderbilt team to make it to the NCAA tournament, and received the school’s 21st NCAA bid overall.
Up next for Vanderbilt is a second round game against West Virginia on Monday evening, March 24. The Mountaineers did Vanderbilt a big favor by knocking off sub-regional host New Mexico. Playing West Virginia in “The Pit” will hopefully be less of a pressure cooker situation than it would have been if New Mexico had made it through to the second round. But then again, it doesn’t really matter to Vanderbilt who they face; their approach will remain “No Pressure.”
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