NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Liz Sherwood scored a career-high 28 points to lead No. 20 Vanderbilt to a 72-57 victory over Western Kentucky on Tuesday night.<br>
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Sherwood, a sophomore transfer from Connecticut, scored 13 points in the first half as the Commodores (11-3) erased a one-point deficit midway through the period to take a 46-26 lead at the half.<br>
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Western Kentucky (10-3) trailed 11-4 early in the first, before Tiffany Porter-Talbert scored eight points in a 12-4 run that gave the Lady Toppers the lead.<br>
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Sherwood converted a three-point play 1:23 into the second half to extend Vanderbilt's lead to 49-26, and scored again with 15 minutes remaining to make it 55-31.<br>
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Western Kentucky scored eight unanswered points before Sherwood, whose previous career high was 18 in Vanderbilt's last game, scored a low-post basket to stop the run.<br>
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Ashley Butler's layup with 2:41 left cut the Western Kentucky deficit to 65-55, but Carla Thomas made two free throws and Sherwood scored on Vanderbilt's next possession to put the game out of reach.<br>
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Thomas finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Commodores.<br>
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Butler and Crystal Kelly scored 16 points each for Western Kentucky. Porter-Talbert added 13.<br>
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(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
