No. 21 Women’s Basketball Plays Host To Florida

No. 21 Women’s Basketball Plays Host To Florida

1/29/2005

No. 21 Women’s Basketball Plays Host To Florida

No. 21 Vanderbilt welcomes former Vanderbilt player Carolyn Peck’s Florida Gators to Memorial Gym Sunday at 12 p.m. during alumni weekend for the Commodores. The game will be televised live by CSS.

Game Notes

The Commodores will recognize past Vandy players during halftime of Sunday’s game.

Vanderbilt snapped its three-game losing skid on the road Thursday night at Kentucky. VU’s starting frontcourt, Ashley Earley and Carla Thomas combined for 46 points and 18 rebounds as No. 21 Vanderbilt handed Kentucky its first loss at home this season, 73-67. Earley picked up her seventh double-double of the season with a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds. Thomas added 22 points while Abi Ramsey chipped in 14 points. Vandy shot 49.1 percent from the floor and forced Kentucky into 23 turnovers. Earley continues to lead the team in scoring with 18.8 ppg and rebounding with 8.9 rbg. In SEC action, she’s averaging 17.7 ppg and 9.3 rbg. Thomas ranks third in scoring in conference only games scoring on average 19.7 in six conference games. She averages 15.9 ppg on the season. Dee Davis runs the offense having already dished out 129 assists.

Florida (12-7, 3-3 SEC) dropped its second straight conference game Thursday night when the Gators fell at Georgia, 81-61. Bernice Mosby scored a game-high 25 points and Tamia Williams added 14 points, but Georgia placed four players in double figures and shot 57 percent in the second half to blow open a 31-29 halftime lead. Florida shot only 33.3 percent in the second half. After starting conference play undefeated the Gators have lost three of their last four games. Mosby leads the team in scoring averaging 14.7 ppg while grabbing 8.7 rebounds per outing. Williams averages 12.6 ppg. The Gators shoot 39.9 percent from the floor and 33.9 percent from behind the arc. Williams led the SEC in three-pointers made in conference play (22-of-51, 43.1 percent).

THE FLORIDA SERIES
This will be the 39th meeting between Vanderbilt and Florida on the basketball court. Florida leads the all-time series, 21-17. The Commodores are 2-2 under Melanie Balcomb against Florida. The Gators swept the series last season winning in Gaineville, 67-61, and in Nashville, 92-83. Florida has won 10 out of the last 14 meetings.

LAST TIME AGAINST FLORIDA
Four Vanderbilt players scored in double figures led by 17 points from Carla Thomas, but Florida’s frontcout of Vanessa Hayden and Tashia Morehead combined for 48 points as Florida completed the season sweep of Vanderbilt with a 92-83 win in Memorial Gym last February.

EARLEY NAMED TO WOODEN LIST
Senior forward Ashley Earley is one of 20 players that have been named to the John R. Wooden Award midseason list. Earley is averaging 18.8 ppg and 8.9 rbg for the Commodores. The midseason list is based on individual player performance and team records through the first half of the season. Earley is one four players from the Southeastern Conference on the list. LSU’s Seimone Augustus, LSU’s Temeka Johnson and Miss. State’s Tan White also represent the SEC on the list. The award will be presented on April 9 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

PECK RETURNS ON ALUMNI WEEKEND
Former Vanderbilt player Carolyn Peck returns to Memorial Gym as the head coach of the Florida Gators during alumni weekend for the Commodores. Peck played from 1985-88 for the Commodores and tallied 1,240 career points in four seasons. She ranks 17th all-time in scoring. Peck averaged 12.5 ppg her senior season for the ‘Dores. She played in 117 games in her career. Peck was named All-SEC second team as a senior.

UP NEXT FOR THE COMMODORES
Vanderbilt hits the road Thursday night for its final Thursday road game. The Commodores travel to Starkville, Miss. to take on Miss. State at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net South.