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Vanderbilt cruises past Mississippi State, 87-64 2-26-04 2/26/2004 Commodores dominate the boards, 58-26 NASHVILLE — “Senior Night” couldn’t have had a better script as #24 Vanderbilt routed Mississippi State 87-64. Honorees Jenni Benningfield and Hillary Hager combined for 35 points and 13 rebounds to complete their Memorial Gym careers in high style. Juniors Ashley Earley and Abi Ramsey both totaled 19 points each to tie Benningfield for the team-high. On the evening, Vanderbilt dominated the boards by a 58 to 26 margin, including 27 offensive rebounds, and dished 20 assists, while holding MSU to just 37.9 percent shooting from the floor. Mississippi State scored the game’s initial points when Tiania Burns, a local Nashville product of Pearl-Cohn High School, swished a short jumper. In the early going, it looked as the Commodores might not find the scoring column often as the Lady Bulldogs stopped Vanderbilt on its first seven possessions. SEC All-Freshman nominee Carla Thomas tallied Vanderbilt’s first points on a pair of free throws. Junior Abi Ramsey knocked down Vanderbilt’s first field goal at the 15:31 mark and freshman point guard Dee Davis drove all the way down the lane for an easy lay-up to grant VU its first lead of the night at 6-4 with 14:53 remaining. The 10-2 Black and Gold run continued as “Senior Night” honoree Jenni Benningfield got on the scoreboard with three consecutive tallies before Ramsey nailed a long three as VU led 12-6. MSU’s Tan White, the conference’s second-leading scorer at 19.2 ppg, finally stepped into the scoring column with two quick buckets to cut the deficit to just two points at 12-10 with 11:28 to play. That’s when juniors Abi Ramsey and Ashley Earley ignited an 21-4 run as VU took a commanding 33-14 lead with 2:34 remaining in the opening half. Ramsey’s triple opened the run and 10 points from Earley, including consecutive three-point plays, helped the Commodores out to the 16-point advantage. Another senior honoree, forward Hillary Hager hit a three-pointer during the spurt for her first tallies of the evening. The Black and Gold’s first half lead eventually reached 19 points before a late Seneca Anderson lay-in off a steal cut the Lady Bulldogs’ halftime deficit to 33-16. The 17-point lead at the break was Vanderbilt’s largest over a SEC opponent during conference play. VU shot just 37 percent in the first half but held MSU to just 25.8 percent, including an 0-for-6 effort from three-point range. VU re-opened the 19-point lead at 42-23 after a lay-up by Earley. However, MSU and its superstar showed they weren’t about to give up on this game as two White treys for MSU cut the deficit to 15 points. Benningfield hit a bucket to restore the advantage to 17 points, but two more White three-pointers drew the Lady Bulldogs as close as they had been since the 8:37 mark of the first half at 46-37. Another Benningfield deuce and a Ramsey lay-in in transition gave VU some breathing room again at 53-39, and Hager swished another long three-pointer as the lead grew back to 17 points at 58-41 with 10:59 remaining in the contest. Vanderbilt’s advantage reached 20 points at 68-48 following two Earley deuces, a Hager bucket and an incredible reverse one-handed lay-in by Benningfield. White tried her best to keep Mississippi State around with another three, but Benningfield wrestled back the momentum by taking one of her signature charges under the MSU bucket with 7:09 left. Ramsey nailed another three-pointer, Thomas got open alone under the hoop for a deuce and Hager and Ramsey connected on consecutive threes to open a 79-51 lead. Vanderbilt seniors Jutta Korkko and Venessa Ferragamo entered the lopsided contest with 3:17 remaining to a standing ovation. Korkko grabbed a rebound and Ferragamo hit a single free throw in their three minutes of action as Vanderbilt closed out the important conference victory. |
