NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ciaja Harbison scored all 22 of her points in the second half and Marnelle Garraud finished with 11, including the 1,000th point of her career, as Vanderbilt defeated Austin Peay 70-61 on Thursday night at Memorial Gymnasium.
The Commodores improved to 5-0 for the first time since the 2014-15 season and stretched their win streak over Austin Peay to 17 straight.
Harbison shot 6 of 15 from the field with five assists, three rebounds and three steals. Sacha Washington scored 11 points, grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and blocked two shots.
Vandy got off to a slow start offensively and trailed 16-10 after one quarter. After the Governors (2-1) increased their lead to nine points, Bella LaChance provided a spark off the bench for the Dores in the second quarter. The junior guard hit a shot clock buzzer-beating 3-pointer and then fed Jada Brown for another 3 to trim the deficit.
Senior forward Yaubryon Chambers gave the Dores their first lead of the game with consecutive baskets, the second coming on a pretty reverse layup after a fake handoff.
Garraud closed out the first-half scoring with a 3-pointer to provide Vandy with a 29-27 advantage entering halftime.
The statistics through the first 20 minutes mirrored the close score, with Vanderbilt shooting 46 percent (11 of 24) overall in the first half and Austin Peay shooting 44 percent (11 of 25). Vandy scored eight points off eight Austin Peay turnovers, and Austin Peay scored nine points off nine Vandy turnovers.
Harbison made her presence felt from the very start in the second half with steals and baskets. The graduate guard scored the first seven points on two layups and a floater in the lane.
The Dores led by as many as nine points early in the third quarter before Austin Peay chipped away to pull within 46-44 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Harbison, Garraud and Washington took over to help Vandy remain undefeated. Washington gave the Dores the lead for good at 52-50 with two baskets inside, Garraud knocked down two 3-pointers and Harbison converted free throws down the stretch.
Vandy finished the game shooting 50 percent (25 of 50) from the field and scoring 18 points off 18 turnovers. The Dores out-rebounded Austin Peay 35-27 and had 14 fastbreak points to just two for Austin Peay.
Milestone Moment
Garraud joined the 1,000 career points club. The graduate transfer entered the night needing five points to reach the milestone, and she hit the mark on a left-handed layup with 8:20 remaining in the game for her 1,000th point.
She finished the night with 1,006 career points. Garraud scored 944 points in her four years at Boston College and has 62 through five games at Vanderbilt.
Up Next
Vandy hosts Saint Joseph’s at 2 p.m. Sunday (SEC Network+) in Memorial Gymnasium in the final game of a three-game homestand.
Tickets
Students will continue to receive free admission to all home basketball games. In addition, single-game sales, mini-plans and group ticket options are available. To view the promotional schedule, click here.
