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No.12 Vanderbilt Hosts NC State in Biggest Home Test Before SEC Play 1-5-05 1/5/2005 No. 12 Vanderbilt plays its final nonconference game when the Commodores host Atlantic Coast Conference member NC State Thursday night at 7 p.m. in VU’s biggest home test of the season. Game Notes Every Thursday home game at Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball is Give Back Thursday. Fans can receive free admission into the NC State game by donating one full newspaper on newpaper recycle night. Vanderbilt (11-1) enters the game riding a five-game win streak after downing Troy and UNO in its last two outings. Ashley Earley scored a career-high 26 points and registered her 1,000th career point in leading the Commodores to a 91-37 win at UNO. VU shot 71 percent in the second half and scored a season-high 57 points in the half. Sophomores Cherish Stringfield and Caroline Williams came off the bench to combine for 22 points in the win. Against Troy, the Commodores extended their nonconference home winning streak to 49 games with a 78-50 win. Earley led the team with a game-high 22 points. Abi Ramsey added 14 points including four three-pointers. Ramsey only needs two three-pointers to become VU’s all-time leader in three-pointers made. She has 202 career 3-pointers. On the season, Earley continues to lead the team averaging 19.9 points per game and 9.0 rebounds. Dee Davis runs the offense averaging 14.9 points per outing and 7.1 assists per game. Carla Thomas (14.4) and Abi Ramsey (11.8) are the other two Commodores averaging in double figures. Vanderbilt averages 86.7 ppg which leads the nation in scoring offense while wracking up a +37.1 scoring margin, which is also tops in the nation. The Commodore defense ranks third nationally holding teams to 49.6 ppg. The ‘Dores are shooting a Southeastern Conference best 52.9 percent from the field and holding their opponents to a 35.1 percent field goal percentage. The Commodores have already connected on 84-of-217 from three-point range good enough for an SEC best 38.7 percent. Defensively, Vandy forces 26.7 turnovers per game while picking up 13.6 steals per game. This the Commodores final nonconference game. Vandy opens SEC play Sunday at home against South Carolina. NC State (11-2) brings a three-game win streak into Memorial Gymnasium Thursday night. The Wolfpack have defeated Mount St. Mary’s, Saint Peter’s and ACC foe Wake Forest in the last three games. NC State’s two losses have come against Tennessee and at George Washington. In State’s last outing, Billie McDowell scored a career-high 27 points connecting on six three-pointers to lead the Wolfpack in a route of Wake Forest to win their ACC opener, 81-55. Ashley Key added 15 points while Tiffany Stansbury finished with 10 points. NC State shot 54.8 percent in the game. Stansbury leads the team averaging 11.9 ppg. Two other players, McDowell (10.6 ppg) and Key (10.3 ppg) are the two other players averaging double figures. NC State is holding opponents to 50.2 ppg which ranks in the top five in the nation. This will be only the second meeting between Vanderbilt and NC State. Vanderbilt and NC State last met during the 1995-96 season in Charlotte. The Commodores defeated the Wolfpack, 93-61. Vanderbilt will celebrate fan appreciation day on Sunday when the Commodores host South Carolina for the SEC Opener. A special ticket offer of $1 will allow fans to help the 2004 defending SEC Tournament champions kick off the 2005 SEC season. The first 1,000 fans will receive lapel pins commemorating the 2004 SEC Tournament Championship. |
