Dec. 21, 2008
TV: CSS | Radio: 104.5 FM | XM: None
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt brings a three-game winning streak into Monday night’s game against Furman at Memorial Gym, when the Paladins visit for an 8 p.m. tip off. The game will be televised by CSS, and the game can be heard on the Vanderbilt-ISP Radio Network, with Joe Fisher and Tim Thompson on the call.
Vanderbilt won its third consecutive game Saturday night when the Commodores came away with an 83-63 victory over Tennessee Tech at Memorial Gym. VU had a very balanced scoring output with four double figure scorers, and once again had a stellar team defensive performance, limiting the Golden Eagles to only 33.3 percent from the floor and 27.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Sophomore center A.J. Ogilvy led all scorers with 20 points, with freshmen Brad Tinsley and Jeffery Taylor adding 15 and 14 points, respectively, and junior guard George Drake pouring in 12 points. It was Ogilvy’s second consecutive 20-point performance after scoring 20 points against South Florida on Dec. 16.
Ogilvy leads a foursome averaging double figures with 16.2 points per game. Taylor averages 13.4 points, junior point guard Jermaine Beal chips in 11.2 points, and Tinsley contributes 10.7 points per game. Ogilvy leads all Commodores on the glass with 7.1 rebounds per game.
Vanderbilt and Furman will meet for the seventh time on Monday night. Six of the meetings have occurred in Nashville, with Furman winning the last meeting at Memorial Gym, 70-62, on Nov. 28, 2006.
Furman enters the game Monday night with a 1-7 overall record after dropping a 77-66 decision to North Florida on Dec. 18. Jordan Miller leads all Paladins with 16.0 points per game. Senior center Alex Opacic also averages double figures with 11.0 points per contest. Opacic leads all Paladins on the glass with 6.4 rebounds per contest.
Furman head coach Jeff Jackson was an assistant coach on Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings’ staff from 2000-2006, and Paladin assistant coach James Strong, a standout player for the Commodores, was the director of video operations under Stallings from 2000-06.
As a junior at Vanderbilt, Strong led the Southeastern Conference and set a school record with 77 steals, and finished his career ranked third in Vanderbilt history with 209 steals.
Senior Furman center Alex Opacic is from Sydney, Australia, the same hometown as Ogilvy. Both attended the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, Australia.
