RUSTON, La. — Graduate guard Marnelle Garraud scored a career-high 31 points and freshman Ryanne Allen drained clutch 3-pointers late as Vanderbilt rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat Louisiana Tech 75-70 in overtime on Thursday night at Thomas Assembly Center.
Garraud made a career-high seven 3-pointers on 13 attempts and finished 11 of 19 from the field. She scored 21 of her points in the second half and overtime to help Vanderbilt (7-5) snap LA Tech’s 18-game regular-season winning streak against non-conference opponents while dropping the Lady Techsters to 6-3 on the season.
Allen scored all 14 of her points in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime. She finished 4 of 6 from the field with all of her shots coming from behind the 3-point line as Vanderbilt erased a 12-point second-half deficit on the road.
Graduate guard Ciaja Harbison returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with an injury. But the Dores were missing freshman Amauri Williams to keep the roster at just eight available players. They were down to seven for the final minutes after Sacha Washington fouled out.
Both teams started out slow on offense and struggled to establish any rhythm. Following a shot clock violation by La Tech, Garraud drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key with a few seconds remaining in the first quarter to give the Dores their first lead at 14-13 and provide a hint of what was to come. The Boston College transfer scored half of Vandy’s 14 first-quarter points on 3 of 4 shooting from the field.
After LA Tech knocked down three 3-pointers and completed a three-point play to move in front 28-23, Garraud answered with another 3-pointer to trim Vandy’s deficit to 28-26 entering halftime.
The Techsters scored the first seven points of the second half and led by as many as 12 points before Garraud hit a 3-pointer and a layup near the end of the third quarter to pull Vandy to within 49-42. Garraud stayed hot in the fourth quarter, draining back-to-back 3-pointers as part of a 13-2 Vandy run to cut the deficit to one point midway through the period.
Allen put Vandy in front 57-56 with a 3-pointer with 1:23 remaining in regulation – her first basket of the night. After La Tech made four free throws for a three-point advantage, Garraud tied the game at 60-60 with yet another 3-pointer with 24 seconds to go. Garraud’s layup attempt at the buzzer in regulation didn’t fall to send the game into overtime.
Allen caught fire in the extra period, draining three 3-pointers and making two crucial free throws late to complete the Vanderbilt comeback.
Both teams finished shooting 43 percent from the field, with Vanderbilt going 27 of 63 and La Tech 24 of 56. Vandy hit 12 of 28 3-pointers compared to 5 of 13 by LA Tech.
Vandy outrebounded the Lady Techsters by just one (36-35) and got two more bench points (23-21).
The Dores scored 23 points off 18 La Tech turnovers, but gave up 26 points on 17 of their own turnovers.
Anna Larr Roberson led LA Tech with 23 points and Keiunna Walker scored 18.
Player Notes
• Garraud extended her streak with at least one 3-pointer made to 12 games. She has connected on at least three 3s in three of the last four games.
• She has scored in double figures in four straight games.
• Allen tied her career-high with four 3-pointers.
• Washington has recorded at least five rebounds in 11 of Vandy’s 12 games this season.
• Bella LaChance tied her career high with four assists.
• Yaubryon Chambers led Vandy with three steals, the fifth time this season she has recorded that total in a contest.
Series history
Vandy took a 2-1 lead in the series. It was the first time the teams had met in the regular season and first meeting since the 1992-93 season. The previous two games were played in the NCAA tournament.
Up Next: Vanderbilt returns to Memorial Gymnasium on Dec. 18 to host Lipscomb at 2 p.m. CT (SEC Network+).
Tickets: Students will continue to receive free admission to all home basketball games. In addition, single-game sales, mini-plans and group ticket options are available. To view the promotional schedule, click here.
