Women's basketball head coach Melanie Balcomb hadn't beaten Tennessee since she coached Xavier to a victory over the Lady Vols in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.Until today.
No. 24 Vanderbilt used a 20-4 run in the second half to roll past the seventh-ranked Lady Vols 74-58 in front of 9,650 fans packed inside Memorial Gym.
The victory snapped Tennessee's 16-game winning streak in the series, and more importantly, pushed the Commodores to 2-0 in the SEC as they chase for that coveted regular season title.
Balcomb talked about what the win meant in her postgame press conference, and Tennessee coach Pat Head Summitt offered praise for the Commodores in defeat.
Melanie Balcomb:
"Here's all I have to say. I guess I can finally smile for once."
"I never relax. I was tense until the clock hit zero. I just told the girls that we can never let up, never relax. We have to win every possession. This is all starting to be a blur already, but I remember hugging Tina (Wirth) and (Jennifer) Risper and saying 'we did it!'"
Pat Head Summitt:
"Vanderbilt was the better team from tip off to the end. They had an incredible ability to take us off the dribble. This is the most aggressive Vanderbilt team we have ever played and definitely the most aggressive team we've played this season. You have to give Melanie credit. You can't take a thing away from Vanderbilt. We simply did not go out there and represent. We've been playing a half a game, instead of a full 40 minutes. We need to go back and get our defense better."
For more reaction including video highlights, interviews and photos, click here.
Balcomb talked about what the win meant in her postgame press conference, and Tennessee coach Pat Head Summitt offered praise for the Commodores in defeat.
Melanie Balcomb:
"Here's all I have to say. I guess I can finally smile for once."
"I never relax. I was tense until the clock hit zero. I just told the girls that we can never let up, never relax. We have to win every possession. This is all starting to be a blur already, but I remember hugging Tina (Wirth) and (Jennifer) Risper and saying 'we did it!'"
Pat Head Summitt:
"Vanderbilt was the better team from tip off to the end. They had an incredible ability to take us off the dribble. This is the most aggressive Vanderbilt team we have ever played and definitely the most aggressive team we've played this season. You have to give Melanie credit. You can't take a thing away from Vanderbilt. We simply did not go out there and represent. We've been playing a half a game, instead of a full 40 minutes. We need to go back and get our defense better."
For more reaction including video highlights, interviews and photos, click here.
Great game! I was amazed at Vandy's being undersized and still dominating. GO DORES!
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