Dec. 4, 2005
Norfolk, Va. (December 4, 2005) -- The #19/20 Vanderbilt Commodores overcame a 16-point second half deficit to rally for an 82-77 victory over the Old Dominion Lady Monarch Sunday afternoon at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.
Vanderbilt's Dee Davis collected a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists, while Caroline Williams added 20 for the Commodores. The Lady Monarchs were led by senior Lawona Davis (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), who narrowly missed her second double-double of the year with a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds.
"I think we played hesitant and tight and as a result we got behind in the game," said Vanderbilt head coach Melanie Balcomb after her team's victory. "As we were coming back we began to gain more confidence, we were able to bring the score back to our advantage."
Old Dominion held a 49-39 lead at the half and proceeded to hold Vanderbilt without a bucket in the opening 4:10 of the second stanza. The Lady Monarchs raced out to a 16-point lead by the 17:47 mark and were able to hold on to a double-digit lead through the first 10 minutes of the half.
After a Paula Muxiri (Luanda, Angola) lay-up that gave Old Dominion a 67-55 lead with 10:20 remaining, the Commodores went on a 12-2 run to whittle the Lady Monarchs lead down to two, 69-67. Megan Pym (Newfield, N.Y.) and Davis poured in back-to-back buckets to keep the lead in favor of the Lady Monarchs and give ODU a 73-67 edge with 5:50 left to go. After the Commodores cut into the lead with Dee Davis free throws in one-and-one situation, the Lady Monarchs were held to just two field goals over the final 5:12.
Jen Nuzzo (Newport News, Va.) gave ODU back a six-point edge, 75-69, right after Davis' last free throw, but from there, Vanderbilt closed the game on a 13-2 run. On the ensuing possessions, the Commodores kept going to the line and hit three of four to close the gap to within two, 75-73, with just under four minutes remaining followed by Dee Davis draining a three-pointer with 3:24 left for the Commodores' first lead since the 3:19 mark of the first half.
With Vanderbilt up, 76-75, Sherida Triggs (Norcross, Ga.) briefly gave ODU back the lead on a lay-up, however Triggs' basket would be the final points scored by the Lady Monarchs in the game's final 2:51. The Commodores scored the final six points on a field goal and four made free throws.
"We did have bright moments as a group," said the Lady Monarchs' Davis in the wake of Old Dominion's second loss this season to a Top 25 opponent. "It's still early and there's more to come."
Davis' 21 points marked a season-high along with Jazzmin Walters' 10 and Paula Muxiri's 14. ODU's leading scorer T.J. Jordan was held without a field goal and tallied all five of her points going 5-of-5 from the free throw line.
In all, four Commodores finished the afternoon in double digits. Rachel Brockman and Liz Sherwood each came off the bench for 13. Davis and Williams led Vanderbilt in the rebounding department collecting five boards apiece.
The Lady Monarchs begin a three-game road swing on Friday when they travel to #6/7 Rutgers. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. in Piscataway, N.J.