University of Georgia Athletics
Lady Dogs Fall To Vanderbilt In SEC Tourney
March 04, 2007 | Women's Basketball
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) - Christina Wirth scored 21 points and Vanderbilt pulled ahead by 23 points in the first half Saturday night in an 81-56 victory over No. 10 Georgia that advanced the 13th-ranked Commodores to the Southeastern Conference championship.
Vanderbilt proved its hot shooting in a tournament-opening win over Florida was no fluke. The Commodores made 57 percent of their shots against Georgia one night after shooting 66 percent from the field against Florida.
Vanderbilt (26-5) will face No. 11 LSU in the tournament final Sunday night. The Commodores beat LSU 68-58 on Feb. 22 in Nashville.
Vanderbilt will be playing for its fifth tournament championship, including the third in six years. The Commodores won the 2002 and 2004 tournaments.
The tournament's two top seeds lost in the semifinals. LSU beat top-seeded and second-ranked Tennessee 63-54. Georgia was the No. 2 seed, but it couldn't come close to repeating its 83-71 regular-season victory over the Commodores.
Tasha Humphrey and Cori Chambers each scored 17 points for Georgia (25-6). Humphrey added 12 rebounds.
Meredith Marsh scored 15 points, Carla Thomas had 13, and Jennifer Risper added 11 for Vanderbilt. The Commodores were 11-for-15 from 3-point range in their 105-77 quarterfinal win over Florida on Friday night and were still hot in the first half Saturday.
Vanderbilt made six of nine 3-pointers in the first half and was 8-for-13 for the game. It took a 7-0 lead and never trailed while stretching the advantage to 32-12.
Georgia matched its season low for first-half points, trailing 37-18 at the break. Chambers hit two 3-pointers late in the half for Georgia's only offensive highlight.
Vanderbilt kept the lead over 20 points most of the second half and stretched it to 70-39 on a basket by Wirth with 6:38 left.
