Dec. 3, 2014
Vanderbilt Gamenotes 
|Baylor Gamenotes
Vanderbilt will welcome the Baylor Bears to Memorial Gym on Thursday night for a 6 p.m. tip off as a part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The game will be televised on ESPNU, and can be heard on the Vanderbilt IMG College Radio Network throughout Middle Tennessee.
The Commodores are now 5-1 on the season after defeating LaSalle, 68-55, at the Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday. Four Commodores scored in double figures, with sophomore big man Damian Jones leading the way with 16 points. Freshman Riley LaChance scored a career-high 14 points, while senior James Siakam and sophomore Luke Kornet tallied 10 points apiece. Vanderbilt shot 54.2% from the floor against the Explorers, and out rebounded LaSalle, 31-26, and never trailed in the game.
Vanderbilt will participate in its second SEC/Big 12 Challenge – last season, the Commodores lost at Texas, 70-64, on December 2nd.
Game 7/Vanderbilt (5-1) vs. Baylor (6-1)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 6 p.m. CT
SEC/Big 12 Challenge
TV: ESPNU
TV Talent: Dave Neal (pxp), Cory Alexander (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Series Information
Series Record: Vanderbilt holds an 8-1 overall series advantage against Baylor.
Last Meeting: Vanderbilt win, 85-61, on 12/7/85.
Record at Vanderbilt: 6-0
Record at Baylor: 1-0
Record at Neutral Site: 2-1
Coach Stallings vs. Baylor: Coach Stallings has never faced Baylor.
About Baylor and Commodore Ties
Baylor enters the game Thursday night with a 6-1 overall record and won their latest contest Monday night, a 75-49 win over Texas Southern. Taurean Prince leads all Bear scorers with 12.8 points per game, with Kenny Chery also averaging double digits (10.3). Rico Gathers nearly averages a double-double with 9.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per contest. Baylor is holding opponents to only 51.1 points per game and a 33.9% clip from the floor. The Bears are also outrebounding opponents by a +13.0 margin.
The Commodores have three players from the state of Texas – forward Luke Kornet (Lantana), guard Carter Josephs (San Antonio) and forward Jeff Roberson (Houston).
Vanderbilt among SEC leaders
The Commodores leads the SEC in FG% with 50.2%. VU is 2nd in scoring defense (56.7%), 3-Pt FG% (40.6%), 3-Pt FG% defense (.252), and assists (18.3), and 3rd in FG% defense (.348), blocks (4.8), and A/TO Ratio (1.5).
Vanderbilt also sports the individual leader in field goal percentage in Damian Jones (63.3%) and in three-point field goal percentage (.565) with Luke Kornet.
Assists Numbers
Vanderbilt has 110 assists against only 74 turnovers early in the 2014-15 season, and has two players in the top five in the SEC in assists, with Wade Baldwin IV second (6.2) and Shelton Mitchell fifth (4.3). Vanderbilt is second in the league in assists (18.3/game). The Commodores have 110 assists on 155 made baskets, a 70.9% clip, the best in the SEC, and are 10th in the nation in assists per game with 18.3 per contest.
Jones Leads Dores
Sophomore post player Damian Jones is off to a great start to his sophomore campaign, averaging 17.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in six early contests. Jones, a preseason All-SEC First Team selection by the league’s coaches, has scored 20+ points in three games this year and leads the SEC in field goal percentage (.633). Jones is 4th in the SEC in scoring and rebounding, 3rd in blocks (2.0), and 5th in defensive rebounding (5.2/game).
Freshman Contributing
The signing class of 2014, Wade Baldwin IV, Matthew Fisher-Davis, Riley LaChance, Shelton Mitchell, and Jeff Roberson all are contributing mightily to this year’s team. Baldwin, Fisher-Davis, and LaChance have scored in double figures this season, with LaChance leading the group with 11.3 points per game.
Baldwin Off To Fast Start
Guard Wade Baldwin IV won his first SEC Freshman of the Week honor for his performance in wins over Lipscomb and Tenn. State. The 6’3 guard from Belle Mead, N.J., averaged 9.5 points, 7.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in the two Vanderbilt wins. He also posted 10 assists in the win over TSU. Baldwin is 2nd in SEC in assists (6.2) and A/TO ratio (3.7).
SEC’s Youngest Backcourt
The Commodores’ freshman backcourt is the youngest in the SEC. In fact, Vanderbilt is the only school in the league to start three freshmen at the three guard spots.
Luke Kornet: En Fuego
7’0 sophomore forward Luke Kornet had a career-high vs. Lipscomb, posting a career-high 24 points on 10-11 shooting from the floor. He tied the Memorial Gym record for FG% held by Jeffrey Taylor, who was also 10-11 from the floor vs. Tenn. State on Dec.19, 2009.
Three-Point Streak Still Intact
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 902 consecutive games, a streak which began at the inception of the 3-point line in 1986-87. The Commodores rank second only to UNLV for the longest streak in Division I basketball. Vanderbilt, UNLV and Princeton are the only three schools in college basketball to have made at least one 3-pointer in every game played since the 3-point line was implemented.
Coach Stallings in 16th Year
Head Coach Kevin Stallings, the school’s all-time winningest coach, is in his 16th season with the Commodores and 21st overall as a head coach. Stallings has 297 career wins at Vanderbilt and 420 overall as a head coach. He has seven 20-win seasons in the last 10 seasons, with six NCAA tournament appearances and two Sweet 16’s (2004 and 2007). Against Tennessee State earlier this year, he won his 200th career game at Memorial Gym.
Commodores vs. the Big 12
Vanderbilt is 34-19 all-time against teams from the Big 12.
