`Dores topple Skyhawks

Dec. 9, 2010

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For the third-straight game senior forward Hannah Tuomi had a stellar performance for the Commodores, shooting 7-for-7 from the field while recording her second double-double of the season as Vanderbilt topped UT Martin 72-60 Thursday at Memorial Gym.

The Commodores improved to 6-3 overall and stayed perfect at home with six wins, while UT Martin dropped to 4-5 overall with each of its first nine games coming on the road. The win was the second in a row for the Commodores who will begin final exams this weekend and will not play again for 10 days.

Vanderbilt went on a 13-0 run to open up a 24-9 lead with 8:30 remaining in the first half before UT Martin narrowed Vanderbilt’s lead to 27-24 with 3:38 to play in the half. Despite only shooting 2-of-15 from beyond the arc in the opening half, the Commodores headed into the locker room up 34-30 over the Skyhawks.

With Vanderbilt up 57-48 halfway through the second half, senior Jence Rhoads sparked a 9-0 run to give the Commodores a 16-point lead, the largest of the game, and the Commodores never looked back.

Tuomi grabbed 13 boards to go along with her 15 points to earn her second double-double of the season and eighth of her career. Against Samford on November 18, Tuomi scored 14 points and came down with 10 rebounds to help lead Vanderbilt to a 70-60 victory. The Commodores are now 6-2 when the Thornton, Colo., native records a double-double.

With the win, Vanderbilt moved to 9-1 against UT Martin, winning the last eight games, including the last three under Head Coach Melanie Balcomb. Before the game Vice Chancellor David Williams presented Balcomb with a game ball (below) in recognition of her 200th win at Vanderbilt, which came Tuesday night against Southern Illinois.

Sophomore Gabby Smith recorded a career-high 18 points with nine of them coming from three-point range. Elan Brown (11) and Jasmine Lister (13) also scored in double figures, while Jence Rhoads had nine assists.

The Commodores outscored UT Martin 42-24 in the paint, but shot just 22.2 percent from three (6-of-27).

The Commodores return to the court on December 19 when they travel to Pittsburgh, Pa., to face off against Duquesne at 1 p.m.