No. 16 Women’s Hoops Falls At No. 18 ASU

No. 16 Women’s Hoops Falls At No. 18 ASU

11/12/2005

TEMPE, Ariz. — The No. 16/17 Vanderbilt women’s basketball team dropped its 2005-06 season opener to No. 18/20 Arizona State, 69-60, in the first round of the WBCA/BTI Classic at the Wells Fargo Arena.

The Commodores (0-1) held an eight-point lead six minutes into the second half, but a run by the Sun Devils (1-0) solidified Vanderbilt’s first 0-1 start since 2000. That year, Melanie Balcomb’s Xavier squad defeated the Commodores, 64-60.

Sophomore transfer Liz Sherwood led the Commodores with 17 points and eight rebounds. Three other Commodores reached double-figures, led by junior Cherish Stringfield’s 12 points. Juniors Carla Thomas and Caroline Williams each scored 10 for the Commodores.

Arizona State was led by Emily Westerberg and Kristen Kovesdy, who scored 18 and 14, respectively. The ASU duo combined for 27 second-half points to lead the Sun Devil comeback.

Turnovers were the story of the game, as the two teams combined for 55 miscues during the course of the contest. VU guard Dee Davis accounted for 10 turnovers, while ASU’s Jill Noe and Briann January each had six.

Freshman Christina Wirth, playing her first collegiate game only a few miles away from the her hometown, was held to only two points in the game, but managed to grab a game-high nine rebounds.

The Commodores battled early foul trouble, as Thomas and Williams were each whistled twice in the game’s first eight minutes. Thomas, Vanderbilt’s top returning scorer, played only 23 minutes in the contest and scored all 10 of her points in the second half.

Vanderbilt returns to action on Saturday, facing Clemson (0-1) at 5 p.m. CT. The game can be heard on WNSR 560-AM, with play-by-play from 11-year veteran Charlie Mattos.