Vanderbilt (2-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. South Florida (2-1, 0-0 American)
Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024 • 6 p.m. CT
Yuengling Center • Tampa, Fla. • ESPN+
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Notes
TAMPA, Fla. – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team takes to the road for the first time in the 2024-25 season Thursday, as the Commodores travel to Tampa, Florida, to take on South Florida. Tipoff from the Yuengling Center is set for 6 p.m. CT and will stream live on ESPN+.
Starting Five
>> Vanderbilt heads to the Sunshine State with a sunny 2-0 record. The Dores opened the season with back-to-back wins over Lipscomb (102-50) and Austin Peay (93-37) at Memorial Gymnasium. It is the second straight season that Vandy has started 2-0.
>> The Commodores are 34-13 against nonconference opponents under head coach Shea Ralph. Vandy is 6-5 in true road games against nonconference foes under Ralph. Vanderbilt has won four straight road games dating back to last season coming into Thursday’s contest. Vanderbilt collected six SEC road victories in 2023-24, which set a school record for the most conference road wins in a season.
>> Thursday’s matchup will be the fourth time Vanderbilt and South Florida meet on the hardwood. The Commodores own a perfect 3-0 record over the Bulls. The last meeting took place on Jan. 8, 2008, when Vandy picked up a 75-48 victory over USF at Memorial Gym.
>> The Dores defense is coming off a stellar performance in last Friday’s 93-37 win over Austin Peay. The 37 points allowed was the lowest point total scored against Vanderbilt under head coach Shea Ralph. It is also the second time the Commodores have held an opponent to under 40 points in the Ralph era, with the last time coming on Dec. 7, 2023, at Butler in a 51-39 win. Friday’s defensive effort against Austin Peay was also the fewest points Vandy has allowed an opponent to score since Mississippi Valley State registered 37 points against Commodores on Dec. 3, 2014, in Memorial Gym.
>> Vanderbilt scored 90 or more points in each of its first two contests of the 2024-25 season. It marks the first time since 2009-10 that the Commodores have opened a campaign by scoring 90-plus points in back-to-back games. Vandy has never scored 90 or more points in three straight games to open a season.
Game Coverage
Thursday’s contest at South Florida will stream live on ESPN+ via the Watch ESPN app, with Krista Blunk and Leah Secondo calling the action. Fans can also listen to Jake Lyman locally on 94.9 The Fan and on the Vanderbilt Commodores app outside of Nashville.
Receiving Votes in the AP Poll
Vanderbilt picked up votes in both of the major women’s college basketball polls this week. The Dores earned 13 votes in the Associate Press Top 25 Poll, which marked their second-straight appearance in the AP poll.
Offensive Output
Vanderbilt is averaging 97.5 points per game through its first two contests, which is the 14th highest in NCAA Division I. The Dores have scored over 90-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time under head coach Shea Ralph coming into Thursday’s contest at South Florida. The last time the Commodores posted 90-plus points in two straight games came during the 2020-21 season against VCU (90-81) on Dec. 17 and Gardner-Webb (97-58) on Dec. 20.
Double-Double Machine
Khamil Pierre posted her second straight double-double in last Friday’s win over Austin Peay with a 13-point, 10-rebound performance. It is the second time that the 6-2 forward has collected back-to-back double-doubles in her career, as she previously accomplished the feat against Missouri on Jan. 14 (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Auburn on Jan. 18 (23 points, 10 rebounds). Pierre is one of 25 NCAA Division I players to have two or more double-doubles this season. She comes into Thursday’s game looking to become the first Commodore since Koi Love in 2020-21 to open a season collecting three-straight double-doubles.
Team Effort on the Glass
Every Vanderbilt player who played in each of the last two games has collected at least one rebound. As a team, the Commodores are averaging 54.5 rebounds per game, which is sixth-best in all of NCAA Division I. Vandy’s rebounding margin of plus-24.5 is seventh-best in the nation. A total of nine Dores come into the South Florida game, averaging 4.0 rebounds per game.
Winning Big
The Commodores head to Tampa fresh off a pair of 50-plus-point wins at Memorial Gym. Vanderbilt posted a 102-50 (+52) win over Lipscomb in the 2024-25 season opener on Nov. 4, then went on to collect a 93-37 (+56) victory against Austin Peay on Nov. 8. It marked the first time since the 1992-93 season that the Dores posted two consecutive 50-plus-point wins. The last time it occurred was when Vandy collected a 66-point win over Oral Roberts (124-58) on Jan. 14, 1993, then posted a 64-point victory over Mississippi State (108-44) on Jan. 17, 1993, with both games taking place at Memorial Gym.
Double-Digit Scoring Streak
Senior Iyana Moore and sophomore Khamil Pierre enter Thursday’s game riding a double-digit scoring streak that dates back to last season. Moore has registered double figures in nine-straight games, while Pierre has tallied 10-plus points in five-straight contests.
Scouting the Bulls
South Florida holds a 2-1 overall record coming into Thursday’s matchup against Vanderbilt. The Bulls dropped an 86-49 decision at No. 2/2-ranked UConn on Nov. 10. USF is 2-0 at home this season with wins over Bethune-Cookman (87-44) and Mount St. Mary’s (68-51).
Graduate Sammie Puisis leads the Bulls in scoring, as she is averaging 16.0 points in 21.3 minutes off the bench. The guard has hit 12 3-pointers this season, which is the third-most 3-point field goals made in the country this season. Senior forward L’or Mputu (11.3) and graduate Mama Dembele (10.3 ppg) round out South Florida’s trio of double-digit scorers.
The Bulls average 68.0 points per game through three contests, while USF gives up 60.3 points per game. South Florida shoots 41.1 percent from the floor and connects on 35.9 percent of its shots from behind the arc. Defensively, teams are connecting on 41.5 percent from the field, with foes hitting 32.6 percent on 3-point field goals against the Bulls.
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