April 4, 2018
Starting Five
1. The Commodores closed the 2017-18 season with an 88-76 setback to Arkansas in the first round of the 2018 SEC Tournament on Wednesday (Feb. 28). The Commodores, who had played the Razorbacks in the regular-season finale on Feb. 25 and earned a 78-73 victory at Memorial Gym, closed the season with a 7-24, 3-13 SEC record in the second year of the Stephanie White era.
2. Kayla Overbeck tallied her second double-double of the season in the SEC Tournament with 16 points and a career-best 14 rebounds in the loss. Overbeck reached double figures for the eighth time in the last 10 games and recorded her ninth career double-double. Additionally, her 14 rebounds ties teammate Autumn Newby for the most rebounds for a Commodore this season.
3. Christa Reed set a new career-best in her the final game of her collegiate career. The senior tallied a career-best nine rebounds to go along with 16 points, just one rebound shy of her first career double-double. Reed, closed the season with 10 games in double figures in the final 13 contests and averaged 11.9 points per game in the final 10 games the season while going 23-of-23 from the free throw line in that span.
4. Freshman Chelsie Hall earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team it was announced by the conference office. Hall lead the Commodores in scoring with 11.9 points per game, is the No. 26 scorer in the league and the No. 3 freshman scorer, trailing SEC Freshman of the Year, Chennedy Carter, who is averaging 21.6 points per game. Hall becomes the third player in the Stephanie White era to earn SEC accolades, joining Kayla Overbeck and Erin Whalen who were on the 2017 SEC All-Freshman team.
5. Vanderbilt said goodbye to the 2018 senior class of Rachel Bell, Myka Dancy and Christa Reed. Bell and Reed are four-year members of the team, while Dancy is a walk-on who joined the team as a sophomore. Bell and Reed each became members of the 1,000-point club this season. Bell concludes her career as the No. 26 scorer with 1,154 points while Reed sits as the No. 31 scorer with 1,058 career points. Bell and Reed are the first pair of teammates to reach 1,000 points in the same season since 2012-13.
Setting the Scene
-Vanderbilt dropped its opening game in the SEC Tournament, 88-76, to Arkansas on Feb. 28. The loss concluded the 2017-18 season for the Commodores with a record of 7-24, 3-13 SEC.
Last Time Out
-Vanderbilt fell to Arkansas, 88-76, in the SEC Tournament. Kayla Overbeck led the way with 16 points and a career-best 14 rebounds and was joined in double figures by teammates Christa Reed and Rachel Bell who added 16 and 12 points, respectively.
Team Notes
Tough Schedule in 2017-18
The Commodores had one of the toughest schedules in the nation in 2017-18. The Commodores strength of schedule ranked in the top 10 of the season and featured 13 NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, including 2017 national champion, South Carolina and runner-up, Mississippi State. Additionally, 14 of Vanderbilt’s opponents earned a spot in the 2018 NCAA Tournament field.
Young Leadership
-The Commodores were young this season with 10 of its 14 players being underclassmen. While young, two freshmen in Chelsie Hall and Autumn Newby led the way in several statistical categories. Hall led the team in scoring (11.9), assists (3.0) and steals (1.1) while Newby led the way on the glass with 6.6 rebounds per game.
-Underclassmen accounted for 54 percent of Vanderbilt’s scoring this season (1,155 of Vanderbilt’s 2,142 points) and four of Vanderbilt’s top six scorers were underclassmen. The Commodores will return 70 percent of its scoring for the 2018-19 campaign.
Offense on Point
The Commodores ranked in the top half of the SEC in offense for the majority of the season by shooting .450 percent from the floor on the season. Vanderbilt had four players average double figures led by Chelsie Hall‘s 11.9 points per game. On the year, the team shot better than 45 percent from the floor in 15 games including hitting .500 percent or better on five occasions.
50 Rebounds Strong
For the first time this season, Vanderbilt reached 50 rebounds in the win over Arkansas. Rebounding was an Achilles heel for the Commodores all season, but when the Commodores won the battle of the glass they were 7-4. Vanderbilt averaged 32.1 rebounds per game but grabbed 40 or more on eight occasions and owned a 6-2 record when reaching at least 40 rebounds.
Charity Stripe Is Money for the Commodores
The Commodores were quite efficient from the line, shooting .733 which is fifth in the SEC. Vanderbilt had six players shooting at least 70 percent or better from the stripe led by Erin Whalen who was a perfect 19-of-19 from the line this year while Christa Reed is shooting .938 percent and hasn’t missed a free throw in the last 10 games. Reed is the only SEC player shooting over 90 percent from the charity stripe despite not meeting attempts per game minimums to be ranked.
Defense Needs Work
Defense was the struggle for the Commodores this season. While Vanderbilt ranked in the top half in most offensive categories in the SEC, they were at the bottom in nearly every defensive category. The Commodores allowed 79.2 points per game and had a -10.1 scoring margin. Vanderbilt also struggled on the glass allowing 37.2 rebounds per game for a -5.1 rebounding margin.
Individual Notes
Hall Earns Spot on SEC All-Freshman Team
For the second consecutive season, the Commodores placed someone on the SEC All-Freshman team in rookie guard Chelsie Hall. Hall started each game this season and led the team with 11.9 points per game, which ranks her the No. 26 scorer among her SEC counterparts and the No. 3 freshman scorer behind Freshman of the Year Chennedy Carter from Texas A&M. Hall also leads Vanderbilt in assists (3.0/game) and steals (1.1/game). Kayla Overbeck and Erin Whalen were also named to the SEC All-Freshman team as rookies in 2017.
Overbeck Doubles up in Final Game
Kayla Overbeck saved one of her best performances for last as the California native picked up her second double-double of the season with 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against Arkansas in the SEC Tournament. Overbeck’s double-double was the ninth of her career and she joins Autumn Newby as Dores to record double-doubles in 2017-18.
Reed Grabs Career High Rebounds in Final Game
In her final game in a Vanderbilt uniform, senior Christa Reed pulled down a career-best nine rebounds in the loss to Arkansas and was one rebound shy of her first career double-double. Reed averaged 3.8 rebounds per game her senior year and her previous career-best was eight rebounds set her freshman year.
Overbeck Goes for 20
For the second time this season and in her career, Kayla Overbeck posted 20 points with a career-best 24 points in the regular-season win over Arkansas. Overbeck, who is averaging 9.9 points per game, scored in double figures in eight of the last 10 games and averaged 13.6 ppg over the final 10 games.
Newby Doubles up on the Glass
Freshman Autumn Newby led the Commodores on the glass this season. The freshman pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds against the Razorbacks in the regular-season finale on February 25. Newby posted six games of double -figure rebounds this season.
Overbeck Efficient Down the Stretch
Kayla Overbeck has proven to be a master of efficiency and over the last 10 games is shooting .635 (54-of-85) from the field and averaging 13.9 points per game. Overbeck reached double figures in eight of the last 10 games and averaged 9.9 points per game on the year. She is shooting .601 (113-of-188) from the floor on the year to rank No. 5 in the SEC. The California native averaged just 7.8 points per game in non-conference action.
-In addition to shooting at a blistering pace, Overbeck put up numbers. She reached double figures in eight of the last 10 games, including six consecutive games, which matched the longest stretch for a Commodore this season. In the six-game stretch, she twice recorded 20 points and set a new career-best with 24 points against Arkansas in the regular-season finale.
Reed Closed Strong
Christa Reed turned things up offensively over the last 10 contests. Through the last 10 games, Reed is averaging 11.9 points per game and is shooting .460 (40-of-87) from the field. She was also perfect from the free throw line (23-of-23) in that span. Reed’s shot .938 from the free throw line on the year but was just shy of the minimum attempts per game to be ranked (two attempts/game) in the SEC and nationally, but if she were ranked she would have led the SEC and be the only player shooting better than 90 percent from the charity stripe.
Reed Lethal from the Stripe
Reed has been extremely impressive from the charity stripe this season. She shot .938 from the line, a number that leads the SEC and makes her the only SEC player shooting better than 90 percent from the foul line but Reed doesn’t show up in the SEC rankings because she is just shy of the SEC minimum in attempts (two attempts/game). Reed has made each of her last 28 foul shots and only missed four all season.
Chelsie Hall Doing Chelsie Hall Things …
Freshman Chelsie Hall put together an impressive freshman campaign. The rookie from Boca Raton, Fla. is led the Commodores in scoring with 11.9 points per game and started every game this season. Hall reached double figures in a team-best 19 games this season and in 11 of Vanderbilt’s last 18 games, including a career-best 26 against Belmont. Hall scored 20+ in three contests this season and her 11.9 points per game make her the No. 3 SEC freshmen scorer and ranks her No. 27 overall in the SEC. In Vanderbilt’s seven wins, Hall reached double figures in five of those contests.
Overbeck and Reed were X-Factors in Commodore Wins
Sophomore Kayla Overbeck shot .600 (30-of-50) in Vanderbilt wins and averaged 12.7 points per game in Commodore victories. Overbeck had 15 games in double figures this season and in Vanderbilt’s seven wins, Overbeck was in double figures in five of them. Christa Reed was also key in Vanderbilt victories. Reed averaged 12.6 points per game in Vanderbilt wins and shot .550 (12-of-24) from long range in victories.
