LAS VEGAS – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team looks to hit it big in Sin City this weekend, as the Commodores are set to participate in the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout. Vandy opens the weekend in Vegas with a Friday afternoon matchup against Iowa State and finishes with a Saturday contest vs. Northern Iowa. Both games tip off at 3:30 p.m. CT and will stream live on FloHoops.com.
The Starting Five
>> Vanderbilt enters its weekend in Las Vegas a perfect 5-0. The Dores picked up an 88-42 victory over Alabama State at Memorial Gymnasium this past Monday. Junior Sacha Washington scored a season-high 24 points in the win over the Lady Hornets, while sophomore Justine Pissott registered a career-best 16 points.
>> The Commodores will be seeking a 6-0 start for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign. Vanderbilt won its first 10 games of the 2011-12 season.
>> Vandy is 28-14 against nonconference opponents under head coach Shea Ralph. Vanderbilt has won eight-straight games against non-SEC teams, while the Commodores are 28-14 against nonconference foes in the Ralph era.
>> Friday will be the fifth all-time matchup between Vanderbilt and Iowa State. The Commodores lead the series 3-1. The last contest came on Dec. 2, 2017, in Nashville, where Vandy picked up a 77-74 victory. The Dores have also won the only neutral site contest against the Cyclones, as Vanderbilt defeated ISU in Denver, Colorado, as part of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
>> It will be the second-consecutive season that Vanderbilt and Northern Iowa will match up on the hardwood. Last season, UNI won the inaugural game between the two schools, as the Commodores fell to the Panthers, 65-62, in Cancun, Mexico.
Game Coverage
Both games of the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout will stream live, for a fee, on FloHoops.com. Fans can purchase a subscription to FloHoops by clicking the link here. Fans can also listen to the game on the Vanderbilt Commodores app or on 94.9 The Fan in the Nashville area.
Still Perfect
Coming into the weekend, Vanderbilt is one of 47 teams that are still undefeated this season.
A Master Thief
Graduate student Jordyn Cambridge’s 22 steals are the fourth most collected by an NCAA Division I player this season. The guard leads the SEC in steals per game at 4.40, which is also the fourth-best steals-per-game average in the country.
Sharing the Ball
Vanderbilt’s 19.2 assists per game ranks 17th in all of NCAA Division I this season. Graduate student Jordyn Cambridge leads the team with 5.8 assists per game, which is the 27th-best assist-per-game average in the country.
Getting to the Line
Vanderbilt ranks 27th nationally in free throw attempts per game at 24.4. Junior Sacha Washington’s 40 free throw attempts are the sixth-most in NCAA Division I this season. Meanwhile, graduate student Jordyn Cambridge’s 35 free throw attempts rank 14th nationally.
Coming Into Her Own
Freshman Aga Makurat has gotten into a groove over the last week, as the forward is averaging 14.5 points per game over her last two contests. Makurat has hit eight 3-point field goals over the last two games and has shot 66.7% (8-of-12) from behind the arc. Makurat is shooting 52.4% on 3-point shots this season, which is the 46th-best 3-point field goal percentage in the nation.
Scouting the Cyclones
Iowa State comes to Las Vegas sporting a 2-1 record this season. The Cyclones have picked up wins over Butler (82-55) and Southern (78-60) and dropped an 85-73 contest at Drake. Iowa State was picked No. 6 in the Big 12 Conference Preseason Poll.
Freshman Audi Crooks is leading a quartet of double-digit scorers for Iowa State, as the 6-3 center is averaging 15.7 points off the bench. Crooks is hitting 70.4% from the field and sees 17.3 minutes per game. Fellow freshman Addy Brown is putting up 12.3 points per game and is pulling down a team-best 6.7 rebounds.
The Cyclones are averaging 77.7 points per game through three games this season. Iowa State is shooting 47.0% from the field this season while connecting on 37.8% of its shots from behind the arc. Defensively, Iowa State is giving up 66.7 points per contest. Opponents are shooting 38.9% against the Cyclones, while ISU is allowing foes to hit 31.6% on 3-point field goals.
Scouting the Panthers
Northern Iowa enters the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout with a 1-2 overall record. The Panthers opened the 2023-24 season with a 78-67 win over Green Bay, then dropped contests against Iowa (94-53) and at Ball State (75-64). UNI was projected to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll.
Junior Grace Boffeli, who is the 2023-24 MVC Preseason Player of the Year leads the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg) through three games. The forward is shooting 51.4% from the field and is coming off a season-best 24-point performance at Ball State. Redshirt sophomore Shateah Wetering is putting up 10.0 points per contest.
The Panthers are averaging 65.0 points per game this season. UNI is shooting 38.2% from the field while posting a 32.3% success rate on 3-point field goals. Defensively, Northern Iowa is giving up 78.7 points per game. Teams are shooting 47.0% from the field against the Panthers and 31.5% from behind the arc.
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