March 1, 2009
TV: ESPN2 | Radio: 560 AM
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| Season Stats | SEC Stats
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Commodore women’s basketball team closes the 2009 regular season this Sunday, March 1, with a trip to in-state rival Tennessee for a primetime Southeasteren Conference matchup. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast by ESPN2.
Vanderbilt may still have a chance to share its first SEC regular season championship with a win Sunday, but only if streaking Arkansas can pull an upset at Auburn earlier in the day. The Commodores (21-7, 10-3 SEC) need help after dropping a 71-69 decision at Ole Miss last Sunday.
Tennessee (19-9, 8-5) is locked into the No. 5 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament after a 63-61 loss at LSU during the mid-week.
Senior Christina Wirth has reached double-figures in each of the last nine games for the Commodores, including five games of 20-plus points in the last seven. A Player of the Year candidate in the league, Wirth is averaging 15.2 points per game this season.
Vanderbilt is looking for its first-ever season sweep over rival Tennessee. The Commodores’ only back-to-back victories over the Lady Vols came during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, when Vanderbilt followed up an SEC Tournament victory with a win in Nashville. The Commodores have never won in Knoxville through 23 trips.
All five Commodore starters scored in double-figures during a 74-58 win in Nashville over the defending national champions, led by junior Jessica Mooney’s 15 points. Vanderbilt forced 23 UT turnovers in holding Tennessee to its lowest point total ever in the 58th game of the series.
Vanderbilt can be no worse than the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament, earning the Commodores a bye in the tournament’s first round on Thursday, March 5. Vanderbilt will play during the first session on Friday, March 6, during the event’s quarterfinal round.