Women's Basketball Defeats Austin Peay, 84-50; Pick Up 10-Consecutive Win Over Lady Govs
Benningfield leads Commodores with season-high 20 points

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Vanderbilt women's basketball team picked up a 84-50 victory over in-state foe Austin Peay on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium. With the win, Vanderbilt moves to 6-1 on the season, while Austin Peay falls to 4-2.

The Commodores have now defeated the Lady Governors 10-consecutive times and 11 of their 12 meetings all-time.

Head coach Melanie Balcomb and her squad continued their exceptional shooting from the field, and this was evident in the first half. The Commodores shot 16-for-23 for an incredible 70 percent. Vanderbilt was also hot from behind the arc going 5-for-8 from three-point range.

Vanderbilt was paced by forwards Ashley Early and Jenni Benningfield in the first half, as they both recorded 10 points. The two combined to shoot 8-for-9 from the field. Guard Ashley McElhiney chipped in with nine points and four assists.

The Commodores continued its relentless play on the defensive end, as it held Austin Peay to only nine field goals and 20 points in the first half. As a team the Lady Governors shot 30 percent from the field. Guard Brooke Armistead, who entered the contest averaging 21.4 points per game, tallied nine points in the first 20 minutes of play.

The second half was not much different from the first, as the Commodores continued their dominance inside. Vanderbilt outscored Austin Peay, 40-16, in the paint. The only area the Commodores did not play well in was on the defensive glass, as the Lady Governors grabbed 24 offensive rebounds.

Benningfield was the story of the game, as she finished with a double-double. She turned in a season high 20 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds. Benningfield shot 75 percent from the floor on 9-for-12 shooting.

McElhiney entered Sunday's contest 10 assists shy of the Vanderbilt all-time record, which was by Ginger Jared (1993-96). The native of Gleason, Tenn. finished with 14 points, on 5-for-7 shooting, and six assists. McElhiney now has 513 assists for her career.

Center Chantelle Anderson finished with only 15 points, as she was plagued with foul trouble for the majority of the contest. Anderson only attempted five field goals; however, she went 9-for-10 from the line. Early also had a solid game turning in 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.

As a team, Vanderbilt shot 62 percent compared to Austin Peay's 30 percent shooting.
The Commodores are now off for seven days before hitting the road to take on Tennessee-Martin at 3 p.m. Sunday in Martin, Tenn.