Dec. 18, 2013
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Even when her shots weren’t falling in the first half, Christina Foggie didn’t stop firing.
As the game wore on, she started heating up — and she eventually hit the game’s biggest shot.
With Vanderbilt seemingly in trouble in overtime against James Madison, Foggie hit a clutch 3-pointer that tied the game and sparked an 11-4 game-ending run that lifted Vanderbilt to a gutsy 89-85 road victory.
Foggie finished with 29 points, making 9-of-22 from the floor, including 5-of-12 from 3-point range, to help the Commodores (9-2) extend their winning streak to six games.
James Madison fell to 8-3 and saw a three-game winning streak come to an end.
Jasmine Lister added 16 points with four rebounds and six assists. Lister and Foggie both played all 45 minutes during the contest, which featured plenty of emotion and intensity.
“I like to test my team with road games before we get into SEC play,” said head coach Melanie Balcomb. “And I knew we’d have to play well to win tonight. This felt like an NCAA tournament game, really.”
Freshman Marqu’es Webb had a breakout game, scoring a season-high 15 points before fouling out. Webb finished 6-of-9 from the floor and delivered a series of powerful post moves that energized the other Vanderbilt players.
The Commodores finished 23-of-30 (76.7 percent) at the foul line, doing their best work at the beginning and end of the game. They went 11-for-11 from the line in the first half, and were 7-of-10 in overtime.
Vanderbilt won the game despite the absence of Rebekah Dahlman, who missed her second straight game and is out indefinitely after undergoing two procedures for a blood clot last week.
Heather Bowe had eight points and a team-high seven rebounds. Bowe hit the go-ahead jumper that gave Vanderbilt an 83-81 lead in overtime, and the Commodores stayed in front from there.
The tightly-contested game featured eight ties and five lead changes. And in the end, it proved to be one of Vanderbilt’s most impressive wins of the season.
James Madison was led in scoring by Toia Giggetts’ 25 points.
Kirby Burkholder, who was the preseason pick for the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. She came into the game averaging 18.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, team highs in both categories.
James Madison owned a 73-70 lead with 1:41 left in regulation, but Lister delivered a clutch 3-pointer that tied it up with just over a minute to play. After the teams traded baskets in the final minute, the Commodores had a chance to win the game on their final possession, but Bowe’s short jumper rolled off the rim as the buzzer sounded.
JMU then built an 81-78 lead in overtime, but Vanderbilt roared back with a 7-0 run that included Foggie’s game-tying 3-pointer, followed by a bucket by Bowe and two free throws by Morgan Batey.
Early in the game, Vanderbilt fell behind 10-2 before the Commodores ripped off a 26-8 run to reverse the game’s momentum. Webb ignited the surge with some strong work inside, scoring six straight points and showcasing a soft touch in the paint. Vanderbilt eventually took a 39-36 lead into the half.
Vanderbilt returns home on Saturday, hosting UNC-Asheville at 11:30 a.m.
NOTE: James Madison entered the night coming off an impressive 64-51 win over St. John’s on Dec. 15. During the win, the Dukes recorded 12 blocked shots. (By comparison, Vanderbilt had 11 blocked shots all season coming into Wednesday’s game).
