The Commodores look to extend their three-game winning streak in SEC play Monday night, as they welcome legendary coach Pat Summitt and the No. 5 Tennessee Lady Volunteers into Memorial Gym tonight. Turn to ESPN2 to watch the game live, and check back to InsideVandy all game long for updates.
Postgame: Despite holding the lead for much of the second half, the Vanderbilt Commodores could not put away the No. 5 Lady Vols, who used timely baskets from Alicia Manning and Angie Bjorklund to pull away to a 69-60 victory at Memorial Gym on Monday night. Merideth Marsh led the Commodores with 19 points, and Jence Rhoads added 15, including several tough layups late in the second half to keep Vanderbilt close. The Commodores look to bounce back as they welcome Kentucky into Nashville Sunday evening at 5:00 p.m. CST.
Final Score: Tennessee wins, 69-60. The Lady Vols extend their lead in the final minutes after several late free throws.
1:07 - UT leads, 63-57 - Bjorklund hits a three to put the Lady Vols ahead by six, and Elan Brown's three hits the front of the rim.
2:54 2nd Half - UT leads, 58-55 - Tennessee leaps ahead on the strength of a 12-4 run. But Jence Rhoads tells her teammates to clear out on two consecutive possessions, hitting her layup on the first trip and drawing a blocking foul on the second.
6:05 2nd Half - Vandy leads, 51-50 - Alicia Manning grabs the rebound of her teammate's missed free throw and lays it back in for the Lady Vols. Bjorklund hits a jumper and Tennessee moves to within one.
7:43 2nd Half - Vandy leads, 48-43 - Angie Bjorklund hits the Lady Vols' first three of the game with 8:20 left, and the Lady Vols move within four. Tennessee's Glory Johnson is stripped inside on the next possession, but Jessica Mooney travels at the other end and the Commodores cannot capitalize.
11:34 2nd Half - Vandy leads, 41-37 - Lueders hits another huge three, and Rhoads sprints out of bounds to try to cut off an upcourt pass. The Commodores have found a second wind and have matched Tennessee's intensity in the second half.
14:20 2nd Half - Vandy leads, 33-32 - After Vanderbilt is whistled for a foul as Alyssia Brewer clears out after a rebound, Shekinna Strickland is charged a technical foul on the inbound play after sending Jessica Mooney to the floor. Marsh makes both free throws as tempers continue to rise on every trip down the court.
15:19 2nd Half - Vandy leads, 33-30 - Merideth Marsh drives into the lane and hoists up and in a shot from the SEC logo in the center of the paint. She released that shot from below her waist.
16:44 2nd Half -Vandy leads, 31-30 - Senior Lauren Lueders hits a three on Vanderbilt's first possession of the second half, and Kelly Cain answers on the other end with a layup for Tennessee. The Commodores have made 4 of their 7 shots from behind the arc so far.
Halftime notes: The story of the first half was Vanderbilt's ability to match the hustle and physicality of the Lady Vols. Each team has 19 rebounds and is shooting at around 37 percent on the night. Kelly Cain has been a force inside for Tennessee and leads all scorers with 10 points.
Halftime - Score tied, 28-28 - Tennessee closes the half with eight unanswered points and squandered the chance to build on that with the last possession of the half, when tough Vanderbilt defense forced the Lady Vols to take a bad shot. Melanie Balcomb's Commodores need to settle down in the locker room and come out with better shot selection in the second half if they hope to throw Tennessee out of the rhythm it found at the end of the first half.
3:04 1st Half - Vandy leads, 28-20 - Elan Brown fights for a layup and kicks it out to Marsh for a wide-open three. Tennessee has been whistled for multiple frustrated reach-in fouls, and Vanderbilt will shoot from the bonus for the rest of the half. Jessica Mooney goes to the floor for a loose ball and feeds Merideth Marsh for a fast-break layup. Marsh is fouled and completes the three point play. Vanderbilt heads into the TV timeout on an 8-2 run.
7:04 1st Half - Vanderbilt leads, 20-18 - A clever reverse layup from freshman Elan Brown, and the Commodores pull ahead. But the Volunteers once again look inside, this time to Tiffany Brewer. Brewer is fouled and makes both free throws. Jence Rhoads hits another tough jumper to give the Commodores a slim lead.
12:00 1st Half - Score tied, 12-12 - Tuomi clears out down low for a quick layup to cap off a 5-0 run, and the Commodores tie the score at the second TV timeout. Vanderbilt is doing an admirable job of overcoming a significant size disadvantage at every position on the floor and holds a 9-8 edge in rebounds so far.
15:58 1st Half - 12-7 Tennessee - The redshirt sophomore Cain already has six points and a block for Tennessee. Merideth Marsh hits a three to stifle a quick UT run.
17:58 1st Half - Score tied, 4-4 - The Commodores win the opening tipoff, and Jence Rhoades drives the baseline and lays it in to put the Commodores out in front. Tennessee comes right back down the floor, feeding Kelly Cain inside for the quick response. The Commodores will need to be creative in order to control the Lady Vols' size in the paint for forty minutes.
