Marsh leads No. 21 Vandy to victory over NC State

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Meredith Marsh hit her first five 3-pointers and finished with 25 points. leading No. 21 Vanderbilt to a 77-71 win over North Carolina State on Saturday in the championship of the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament.

Marsh hit a trio of 3-pointers to get the Commodores (6-0) off to a quick start, and Vanderbilt held the Wolfpack (5-2) scoreless for nearly 8 minutes while building a 13-0 lead.

Nikkitta Gartrell scored 15 points for N.C. State, while Lucy Ellison had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Bonae Holston 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Brittany Strachan scored 11 points, including a tip-in at the buzzer.

N.C. State trimmed a 20-point second-half lead to 73-65 on Gartrell’s jumper, but Vanderbilt kept the Wolfpack at bay with free-throw shooting, making 28 of 35 for the game — including two by Marsh on a technical called against Gartrell.

Marsh, the tournament MVP, had 16 first-half points without missing a shot, going 4 for 4 behind the 3-point arc with four foul shots.

Jence Rhoads added 12 points for the Commodores.