Nov. 15, 2009
Vanderbilt 90, Lehigh 54
Attendance: 3,810
– This is the first matchup between the Lehigh Mountain Hawks and the Vanderbilt Commodores.
– The Commodores return to Memorial with a 15-1 home record from the previous year.
First Half:
– The Commodores and the Mountain Hawks traded baskets for the first five minutes of the game, until the Commodores definitively took the lead with a 3-pointer by senior Lauren Lueders at the 15:12 mark in the first half.
– Vanderbilt, with three of its freshmen on the floor, went on a 17 point scoring spree to take a 26-13 lead, anchored by junior Jence Rhoads who contributed six points in VU’s run.
– After a strong offensive effort by the Mountain Hawks bringing them within 12, Vanderbilt freshman Gabby Smith switched the momentum back to the Commodores with a 3-pointer at the 6:51 mark of the first half.
– Jordan Coleman beat her career high in points at the 6:20 mark of the first half, contributing six points to the Commodores’ offensive effort in the first stanza.
– All active players saw minutes in the first half, with the bench contributing 27 points, over half of Vanderbilt’s points in the first half.
– Freshman Tiffany Clarke led all scorers with 10 points and three rebounds. Junior Jence Rhoads followed with eight points and five assists.
Second Half:
– Vanderbilt struggled in the start of the second half, as Lehigh went on an 9-0 run, but a layup by sophomore Jordan Coleman and a 3-pointer by senior Merideth Marsh gave a spark to Vanderbilt’s offense.
– Lauren Lueders hit her third 3-pointer of the game at the 11:42 mark in the second half.
– Jence Rhoads reached her career-high in assists with her 10th coming at the 11:14 mark resulting in a layup by freshman Elan Brown. This is the first time a Commodore has dished out double digit assists since Dee Davis had 12 against UAB (11/30/06).
Postgame Notes:
– With the win, Vanderbilt moves to 1-0 on the season. Lehigh falls to 1-1.
– Vanderbilt’s 47 points in the first half is the most scored in the first 20 minutes of a season-opener under head coach Melanie Balcomb.
– Tiffany Clarke led all scorers in her Vanderbilt debut with 14 points and five rebounds.
– Lauren Lueders was perfect on 3-pointers on the day with three overall, matching her career high against Alabama (2/10/08).
– Junior Rebecca Silinksi returned from a season-ending illness to tie her career high points with four.
– Vanderbilt’s freshmen Elan Brown, Gabby Smith, and Tiffany Clarke combined for 30 points and 11 rebounds in their first college game.
– All active players scored in today’s matchup.
