Nov. 16, 2008
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Career highs by senior Christina Wirth and sophomore Hannah Tuomi led the 12th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team to a 90-72 win at Western Kentucky Sunday inside E.A. Diddle Arena.
Wirth led all scorers with 24 points, including key buckets to answer each run that Western Kentucky could muster. Three other Commodores reached double figures, including Tuomi’s personal best of 19 points.
Vanderbilt led by as many as 21 points in the first half. The Commodores scored 23 points off 18 Western turnovers in the initial 20 minutes, opening up a 14-point advantage at the break.
The Lady Toppers would cut the lead down to eight points twice in the second half, but Vanderbilt responded with a 13-0 run to match its largest lead at 81-60 with six minutes remaining.
Sophomore point guard Jence Rhoads had another outstanding day running Vanderbilt’s offense, dishing out eight assists against only two turnovers. Defensively, the Commodores came away with 13 steals, led by four from senior Jennifer Risper.
Juniors Merideth Marsh and Jessica Mooney scored 13 and 10, respectively, as eight different Commodores found the bucket on Sunday.
Arnika Brown led Western Kentucky with 20 points and 16 rebounds, her second consecutive double-double. Dominique Duck and Teranie Thomas also notched double-figures.
The Commodores (2-0) return home for a mid-week game as Eastern Kentucky visits Memorial Gymnasium on Wednesday, Nov. 19, for a 7 p.m. CT contest.
