Dec. 21, 2011
Vandy Game Notes (vs. Florida State) 
The No. 25/23 Vanderbilt women’s basketball team (10-1) plays host to ACC foe Florida State (6-5) on Thursday, December 21. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at Memorial Gym and the game can be heard locally on WNSR 5610 AM.
The game will also serve as the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss to benefit the United States Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program. The women’s basketball team is asking fans to bring a new teddy bear to donate. For more information, click here.
Scouting the Commodores
At 10-1, Vanderbilt will be looking to rebound from a loss for the first time this season. The Commodores suffered a 66-59 setback at NC State on Sunday, December 18. After trailing by as many as 14, Vanderbilt stormed back to pull within three points with 45 seconds remaining, but the Wolfpack was able to hold on for the victory. Redshirt sophomore center Stephanie Holzer led the Commodore effort, scoring 15 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Vanderbilt’s sophomore guards also did their best, with Christina Foggie scoring 13 points and Jasmine Lister adding 11. Foggie continues to lead the squad in scoring, averaging 16.8 ppg. Lister is adding 14.0 ppg, while Holzer posts 12.0 ppg and Tiffany Clarke adds 10.5 ppg. Clarke and Holzer lead the way on the boards, with 7.2 and 7.1 rpg, respectively. Lister is posting a team-high 5.5 assists per contest.
Scouting the Seminoles
Florida State travels to Nashville with 6-5 record, coming off an 86-41 win over Alabama A&M. The Seminoles have won three-straight against Charlotte, Akron and the Lady Bulldogs, following three straight losses to No. 14/12 Louisville (85-76), No. 24/rv Nebraska (66-63) and No. 11/13 Ohio State (78-75/OT). Cierra Bravard is the leading scorer, posting 17.5 ppg, while adding 7.8 rpg. Also in double-figures are Alexa Deluzio (12.7 ppg), Natasha Howard (11.2 ppg) and Chelsea Davis (10.0 ppg). Howard is the leading rebounder at 9.2 rpg. In the win over Alabama A&M, the Seminoles recorded a school-record 15 blocks, with Bravard and Howard each recording four. The Seminoles are 0-2 against the SEC this year, having lost to Arkansas (55-52) on a neutral court and at Florida (72-58).
Vanderbilt vs. Florida State – The Series
This will be the second meeting between Vanderbilt and Florida State, with the Seminoles having scored a 72-66 victory in Tallahassee a season ago. Natasha Howard scored 11 for Florida State, who was led by departed player Courtney Ward’s 31 points. The Commodores, who trailed by nine at the half but fought back within one point, were led by 21 points from Christina Foggie and 17 points from Jasmine Lister.
Commodores vs. Atlantic Coast Conference
Vanderbilt has posted a 19-20 record against members of the ACC. They have played 11 of the 12 institutions (Wake Forest is the only exception), but have not played any team more than six times. The Commodores have faced Georgia Tech the most of any ACC school, sporting a 4-2 record against the Yellow Jackets. The best record the Commodores have against an ACC school is against Clemson (4-0). Vanderbilt is 2-3 against Duke, North Carolina and Virginia, with a 2-3 mark against NC State following the loss to the Wolfpack on Sunday, December 18. Vandy is 2-1 against Virginia Tech, 1-1 against Miami, 0-1 versus Boston College and Florida State and 0-2 against Maryland.
Holzer Finds Her Game
Through out her career, redshirt Stephanie Holzer has had a big impact whenever she has been on the floor, earning SEC Sixth Woman of the Year honors as a freshman. The problem has been staying out of foul trouble. She committed four fouls in the loss at NC State, however was able to stay on the floor for a career-high 30 minutes. Holzer’s impact helped Vanderbilt fight back from 14-points down to pull with in three with just 44 seconds remaining. She finished the contest with 15 points and eight rebounds. The Vanderbilt comeback effort began when she knocked down a pair of free throws following a flagrant foul by the Wolfpack’s Kody Burke with 6:19 remaining, starting a 12-3 VU run.
Top Three From Field & Three
As of the NCAA’s most recent national statistics update on Monday, December 18, the Commodores were in the top three in the nation in both field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage. The Commodores’ 42.9% from three-point range ranks second in the nation, trailing only Illinois State’s percentage of 43.0. Vanderbilt is third from the field with a mark of 49.5%. As a team, the Commodores also rank in the top-10 nationally in scoring (9th at 81.4 ppg), assists (3rd at 19.5 ppg) and assist-turnover ratio (7th at 1.27). Individually, Jasmine Lister and Christina Foggie find themselves in the top-25 nationally in a few categories:
Jasmine Lister
– 20th in assists (5.5 per game)
– 13th in three-pointe field goal percentage (48.8)
– 21st in assist-turnover ratio (2.44)
Christina Foggie
– 10th in three-point field goal percentage (47.8)
– 13th in three-pointers (3.0 per game)
Injuries Hit Dores
The Commodores, who have been without junior guard Gabby Smith in all but one game, had the injury bug bite again before the NC State game when freshman point guard Maggie Morrison was lost for the year to a knee injury. At the time of her injury, Morrison was eighth in the SEC in assists per game (3.8) and sixth in the league in assist-turnover ratio (1.6). Smith suffered a concussion in during pre-season practice and returned for the Western Illinois game to score nine points and dish out five assists before post-concussion symptoms recurred. She has not played since. Without Morrison and Smith, the Commodores have eight scholarship players available.
On-Deck
After the players return home for the holiday, the Commodores return to action on Thursday, December 29, when they host Western Carolina in their final non-conference game of the season. Tipoff at Memorial Gym is set for 7:00 p.m.
