Vanderbilt’s fate in Thursday night’s 79-54 loss to Tennessee was settled early by two factors – junior guard Abi Ramsey’s early foul trouble and senior forward Jenni Benningfield’s lingering injury.
Ramsey, Vandy’s leading scorer, picked up two fouls and headed for the bench at the 17:53 mark. She was held below her average, with 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
Benningfield’s injury was evident immediately. Moments after entering the game at the 15:43 mark, the Lady Commodore senior went up soft for a wide-open shot and missed.
An 8-0 run by the Lady Vols turned a tie into a 10-2 lead. That lead stretched out further by the 11:52 mark after junior guard Brittany Jackson rebounded a Shanna Zolman miss and converted off the rebound for an 18-6 margin.
“We had good ball movement tonight,” UT coach Pat Summitt said. “We got in a rhythm offensively.”
Tennessee finished out the half strong. Two Ashley Robinson blocks and a shot clock violation marked the ‘Dores last three possessions, while Shyra Ely knocked down two free throws to give the Lady Vols a 33-22 halftime edge.
Tennessee opened up the second half with a turnover but regained composure on the next possession, missing three times and pulling down three offensive boards before Ely scored on a lay-in to give the team a 35-22 lead.
Spurred by the efforts of freshman forward Carla Thomas and Ramsey, Vandy countered with an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 44-38. Vanderbilt squandered a chance to cut the lead to four when freshman guard Katie Antony threw the ball to Lady Vol junior guard Loree Moore. Moore converted a layup on the other end to end the ‘Dore charge.
A 6-0 Lady Vol run established a 50-38 lead, which never went lower than 11 points through the conclusion of the game.
Ely finished as the game’s leading scorer with 22 points and eight rebounds.
The Commodores’ 20th-consecutive loss in Knoxville left Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb unhappy with her team.
“We were beaten in every area of this game – from free throws to rebounds,” she said. “It was just a tough game to play in. This is a great team, with great history.
“It is just tough to win in a place like this. “
