Dec. 4, 2011
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 25/22 Vanderbilt’s sophomore guards have been getting it done all season for the Commodores. On Sunday, December 4, Christina Foggie and Jasmine Lister did it to the tune of career highs as Vanderbilt downed High Point, 70-54, to move to 9-0 on the season. The Panthers fell to 4-3.
Foggie eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fourth-consecutive game, scoring a career-high 26 points on 9-11 shooting. She hit three-of-four attempts from the three-point line, was 5-7 from the foul line and contributed three steals.
Her backcourt mate, Lister, dished out a career-high nine assists, while adding 10 points of her own. Tiffany Clarke just missed a double-double, as well, with 14 points and nine rebounds.
High Point was led by a double-double effort from Cheyenne Parker, who scored 19 points and added 13 rebounds. Shamia Brown added 13 points, while Tayler Tremblay and Laura Whitt each contributed 11 points. Erin Reynolds, who was coming off a 36-point performance in a win over Pittsburgh, was held scoreless.
The Commodores never trailed and led by 17 at the half, but the Panthers tried to claw back in it. They opened the second half with a 9-2 run to pull with in seven, 34-27. The Commodores then answered with a 13-4 run to open up a 59-40 lead with 6:40 left and were able to cruise from there.
As has been the case with many opponents, Vanderbilt’s combination of size and athleticism was too much for High Point. The Commodores outscored High Point, 40-26, in the paint, while outscoring them off the bench, 16-0.
Vanderbilt Head Coach Melanie Balcomb believes Foggie is finally becoming the type of player the coach always thought she could be.
“She’s being a complete player,” Balcomb said. “She’s not just trying to hit threes like she was last year and that’s something we’ve worked on. `Hey, if they run at you, make your threes, but if they run at you, you have to put the ball on the floor and pull up or go to the basket.’ She’s also more comfortable in the offense.”
Foggie knows her success has come as part of a complete team offense.
“I’ve been in a flow recently and my teammates have been helping me with that, setting screens and stuff like that,” Foggie explained.
Foggie becomes the first Vanderbilt player to score 20-plus points in four consecutive games since Christina Wirth accomplished the feat in the final four contests of her career at the end of the 2008-09 season. Wirth scored 20 against Auburn in the 2009 SEC Championship game before scoring 23 and 24 in first and second round games of the NCAA Tournament versus Western Carolina and Kansas State, respectively. She concluded her career with 28 points in a Sweet 16 loss to Maryland.
At 9-0, Vanderbilt is off to its second-best start under Balcomb. The 2003-04 team started 10-0. This also marks the fourth-best start in program history. The best was a 17-0 open to the season by Vanderbilt’s 1992-93 Final Four team.
The Commodores return to action on Wednesday, December 7, when they travel to Tennessee-Martin. Tipoff versus the Skyhawks is set for 7:00 p.m. in Martin, Tenn.
