Feb. 23, 2016
Teams: Vanderbilt (15-12, 4-10) vs. No. 16/16 Mississippi State (22-6, 9-5)
Day, Date: Thursday, Feb. 25
Tip-off time: 7 p.m.
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville, Tenn.)
Radio: 560 AM / 95.9 FM
TV: The game can be seen in its entirety on SEC Network-Plus and parts of the game will be shown on SEC Network as part of the SEC’s Whip-Around coverage.
VU’s current streak: Lost seven straight
VU’s last 10 games: 2-8
Mississippi State’s current streak: Won one
Mississippi State last 10 games: 6-4
Game Notes: Vanderbilt Game Notes (MSU) 
l Miss. State Game Notes
Looking to build some momentum for March in the final days of February, the Vanderbilt women host No. 16 Mississippi State on Thursday while celebrating Senior Night at Memorial Gym. The Commodores (15-12, 4-10) have been ensnared in a three-week slump that has featured seven straight losses — including four in a row at home — but they’ll have history on their side against the Bulldogs (22-6, 9-5). Vanderbilt owns a 19-2 all-time record against Mississippi State at Memorial Gym, including winning the past five match-ups. Last season, the Bulldogs came to Music City with an 18-0 record and were ranked No. 14 in the nation before being saddled with a 78-62 defeat by the Commodores. Here’s a closer look at Thursday’s game, which is Vanderbilt’s fifth consecutive contest against a ranked opponent:
l Salute to the Seniors: Tonight’s game is the final home contest of the season, and five Vanderbilt will be honored before the game. The list includes Morgan Batey, Kristen Gaffney, Jasmine Jenkins, Rayte’a Long and Kendall Shaw. (Shaw was named to the SEC Community Service Team on Wednesday). See bottom of page for more on the five players.
l Update on the Commodores: Having gone winless during the first three weeks of February, Vanderbilt has slipped into 11th place in the conference and will be one of four teams competing in the SEC Tournament’s play-in round next Wednesday. (Vanderbilt has been mathematically eliminated from moving up to the No. 10 seed). … Vanderbilt was saddled with a 75-63 loss to No. 12-ranked Texas A&M on Sunday. … Today’s game represents Vanderbilt’s fifth consecutive game against a ranked opponent. The string included games against No. 25 Tennessee, No. 18 Kentucky, No. 25 Florida, No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 14 Mississippi State. The Commodores played only one ranked team from Nov. 15 though Jan. 20, but have played seven ranked teams (including today) since that date. … The Commodores need to win just one more game to surpass their win total from last season, when they finished 15-16 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999. Vanderbilt is also one SEC victory away from matching last season’s conference win total, when the Commodores finished 5-11.
l Marqu’es at her best: For the second season in a row, Marqu’es Webb is putting together a fantastic finish. Over the past five games, she has gone 21-of-29 (72.4 percent) from the floor, including a staggering 16-of-21 (76.1) in the past three games. She is averaging 10.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in the past five contests. Webb also put together some amazing numbers down the stretch last season, shooting 68.2 percent — going 28-of-41 — during the final six games of the season. She averaged 12.3 points per game during that stretch, and reached double figures in five of the six games.
l What’s trending for VU: Despite the recent rough patch, the Commodores continue to rank among the nation’s best in several significant categories. They are No. 12 in the country in field-goal percentage (46.3 percent) and 24th in 3-point accuracy (36.5 percent). On the defensive end, the Commodores are surrendering 56.1 points per game, which ranks 34th in the country. Vanderbilt is No. 1 in the SEC in field-goal percentage, No. 2 in 3-point percentage, and is No. 3 in defense. … Vanderbilt held its opponents to less than 50 percent shooting from the floor in 24 of its first 25 games this season. But each of VU’s past two opponents, Florida and Texas A&M, have hit the mark. … The Commodores are limiting opponents to 27.7 rebounds per game, which is easily the best mark in the conference.
l Star Power: Sophomore sharpshooter Christa Reed is averaging a team-high 10.8 points per game and is shooting 42.5 percent from 3-point range. Reed has been leading the SEC and ranked among the NCAA’s top-10 in 3-point accuracy for much of the season but doesn’t currently qualify to be listed among the conference leaders. … Point guard Minta Spears is tied for sixth in the SEC in assists (4.3 apg) and seventh in the SEC in minutes played (32.7 mpg). … Junior Marque’s Webb is VU’s top rebounder at 5.6 per game. She is averaging 6.6 rebounds in SEC games. … Spears is No. 2 in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio in conference games at 1.7.
l Scouting Mississippi State: The Bulldogs, who beat rival Ole Miss 60-51 on Sunday to end a brief two-game slide, are putting together an impressive statistical season. They rank fifth in the nation in turnover margin (+7.07), fifth in offensive rebounds (18.0 per game), 12th in turnovers forced (21.3 per game), 20th in defense (allowing 54.3 ppg) and 22nd in free throws made (394). … Mississippi State sophomore Victoria Vivans is the SEC’s second-leading scorer, averaging 16.8 points per game, and is shooting 49.9 percent from the floor, which ranks third in the conference. She also ranks third in 3-point percentage (30.3) and eighth in steals (1.9) … Sophomore Morgan Williams is third in the SEC in assists (5.1 apg) and second in free throw percentage at 83.6.
l Series History: Thursday’s game marks the 53rd all-time match-up between the teams, with Vanderbilt owning a 36-16 lead in the series. … The Commodores have dominated MSU at Memorial Gym, winning 19 of 21 games in Nashville, including the past five. … The teams split a pair of games last year, with Vanderbilt posting a 78-62 in Nashville on Jan. 10 to end MSU’s season-opening 18-game winning streak, and the Bulldogs rolling to 69-44 win over the Commodores in Starkville less than three weeks later (more on those games below). … During her time at Vanderbilt, head coach Melanie Balcomb has gone 12-6 against the Bulldogs, including owning a 8-1 mark versus MSU in Memorial Gym. … The Commodores have gone 33-9 against Mississippi State since the 1982-83 season after going just 3-7 against them prior to that season.
l Last year’s Vanderbilt-Mississippi State games: Putting together what was arguably their best game of the season, the Commodores beat previously-undefeated Mississippi State, 78-62, on Jan. 11 at Memorial Gym. The Bulldogs came into the game at 18-0, but Vanderbilt led the contest from start to finish. Vanderbilt’s Morgan Batey, tied her career high with 18 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season Heather Bowe and Rebekah Dahlman added 17 points each and Rachel Bell had 12 for the Commodores, who shot 62 percent from the field and were 33-of-42 (78 percent) from the foul line. … When the teams met again on Jan. 29, Victoria Vivians went 5-of-7 from 3-point range in the second half and finished with a game-high 20 points to lead Mississippi State to a 69-44 victory in Starkville. Vanderbilt shot just 34 percent from the floor, including 1-for-10 from 3-point range. The Commodores committed 22 turnovers against the relentless Bulldog defense. Martha Alwal added 14 points and Kendra Grant had 12 for the Bulldogs. Rebekah Dahlman led Vanderbilt with eight points. Mississippi State shot 50 percent from the field (26-of-52) for the game, including 8-of-15 from 3-point range.
l VU’s most recent game: Unable to slow down a fourth-quarter explosion by No. 12-ranked Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon, the Commodores were saddled with a 75-63 defeat that extended their losing streak to seven games. Vanderbilt (15-12, 4-10), which was facing a ranked opponent for the fourth consecutive game, owned a four-point lead at the end of the third quarter. But the Aggies (20-7, 10-4) outscored Vanderbilt 32-16 in the final 10 minutes to send the Commodores to their fourth straight home loss. Texas A&M’s Courtney Walker, the SEC’s leading scorer, finished with 22 points and six rebounds for the Aggies. Morgan Batey scored 15 points, going 7-of-8 from the floor, for the Commodores. Marqu’es Webb and Rebekah Dahlman added 12 points each and Jasmine Jenkins had 11. Vanderbilt limited Texas A&M to 22 points in the first half and the Commodores carried an eight-point lead into the locker room. But the Aggies erupted for 53 points in the second half, including putting together an 18-2 run to start the fourth quarter.
SENIOR NIGHT HONOREES
Here’s a closer look at the players who will be recognized on Thursday:
Morgan Batey is a 5-10 guard who has been a cornerstone for the Commodores for the past four seasons. The Atlanta, Georgia, native has collected 521 career rebounds, which currently ranks No. 13 among active players in the SEC. Batey has played in 120 career games and she led the Commodores in rebounding in each of the past two seasons. Batey was the only Vanderbilt player to be in the starting lineup for all 32 regular-season games in 2014-15, and has scored 726 career points.
Kristen Gaffney is a 6-1 forward from Cary, North Carolina, who has been the picture of perseverance, overcoming two serious knee injuries to produce a fine career for the Commodores. She has seen action in 50 career games and has scored 213 career points. Gaffney scored the game-winning basket in the final five seconds in last season’s victory over Ole Miss, and scored a career-high 15 points in an NCAA Tournament game against Arizona State.
Jasmine Jenkins is a 5-8 guard from Gainesville, Georgia, who has been a constant force for the Commodores for the past four years. She has played in 113 career games and has scored 520 career points, including pouring in a career-high 24 points in this year’s season opener. Jenkins has also dished out 231 assists in her four seasons with the Commodores and has shot 71 percent from the foul line for her career, including 83 percent as a sophomore.
Rayte’a Long is a 6-foot forward from Dayton, Ohio, who has seen action in 98 career games, having played 20 or more games in all four of her seasons with the Commodores. Long is shooting 56.7 percent from the floor for her career, including 67.3 percent this season. She has scored 199 career points and pulled down 203 career rebounds.
Kendall Shaw is a 6-4 center from Mont Belvieu, Texas, who has overcome injuries to play in 50 career games and collect 78 career rebounds for the Commodores. She scored a career-high 12 points for Vanderbilt in an NCAA Tournament game against UConn. Shaw, who spearheaded this year’s “Week of Thanks” community-support initiative, is a two-time member of the SEC’s Community Service team.
