Vanderbilt never had a problem scoring Sunday against Georgia. Making stops was the problem.
Vanderbilt finally got in gear midway through the second half, blitzing to a 17-3 run to make a close game comfortable in an eventual 80-64 victory over Georgia. The Commodores wore pink jerseys as part of a "Pink-Out" game to benefit breast cancer research, and all proceeds from walk-up ticket sales were donated to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Susan G. Komen foundation.
Senior forward Christina Wirth led five Commodores in double figures with 21 points. Junior guard Merideth Marsh added 18, while sophomore forward Hannah Tuomi and senior guard Jen Risper had 10 apiece.
The key, said Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb, was limiting Georgia's opportunities.
"We just got on them defensively," Balcomb said. We kept talking about the high-low, talking about ball pressure, and checking out and giving them only one shot. We continued to score and we spread the game open by getting those stops and rebounding."
With the win, the Commodores (20-6, 9-2 Southeastern Conference) got off to their best start in conference play in Balcomb's tenure and remained one game out of first in the SEC after Auburn won its fifth straight game Sunday. They also remained perfect in home games in the SEC.
After Vanderbilt led the entire second half, Georgia went on a 7-0 run to tie it at 47 with 10:28 to play, but then it was all Commodores. Wirth and freshman guard Tia Gibbs hit consecutive 3-pointers and then Gibbs scored on a fast-break lay-up after Wirth stole the ball. After Risper grabbed an offensive rebound, Marsh came in for a lay-up and was fouled for a 3-point play to put Vanderbilt up 62-50.
Vanderbilt's four-guard line-up, also used in its victory last Thursday over Florida, gave Georgia fits the entire game. Risper in particular, despite being just 5-8, was effective at the 4 position defending Georgia down low and also getting to the rim on offense. She knocked down all six free throws she attempted and also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
"It's kind of backwards," Balcomb said, laughing. "We went with a guard to guard them better in the post."
"I think it creates a lot of mismatches, defensively and offensively," Marsh said. "Coach was saying that she really liked putting Jen at the 4, so whenever they drive, she can play better defense on them."
Gibbs came off the bench as part of that approach and scored 10 points in just 12 minutes of play. Her 3-pointer and lay-up off her own steal in a 25-second period late put the Commodores up 73-57.
Both Balcomb and her players feel more confident than ever with contributions coming from both starters and bench players.
"In any given game, we have people who are stepping up," Wirth said. "I was so proud of Tia Gibbs. She was just a spark off the bench, hit big shots and I think that when you have people who can come in any given night, it makes it hard to key in on any one person."
