No. 15 MBB Hosts UMass Saturday at 3 p.m.

Jan. 4, 2008

GAME AT A GLANCE

Last Game: Shan Foster had 24 points and five rebounds and No. 15 Vanderbilt remained undefeated with a 76-58 victory over Rice on Thursday night. Recap UMASS (11-2) AT NO. 15 VANDERBILT (14-0) Sat., Jan. 5 at 3 p.m. CT Memorial Gym (14,316) Nashville, Tenn. TELEVISION: CSS Play-by-Play: Willy Daunic; Color: Bruce Elder RADIO: 104.5 the Zone Play-by-Play: Joe Fisher; Color: Tim Thompson SIRIUS: Channel 110 SERIES INFORMATION This will be the first career meeting between the two schools. LAST MEETING First meeting. COACHES Kevin Stallings is in his ninth year at Vanderbilt (158-108) and his 15th overall (281-171). Travis Ford is in his 3rd season with UMass (48-26) and 11th overall (176-137). UMASS TIDBIT UMass is off its best start at 11-2, since opening the 1995-96 season 26-0 on its way to the Final Four. The Minutemen come into the game riding a six-game winning streak and are seeking its first against a ranked team in nearly three years. They are fresh off a thrilling 95-89 win over RV Houston this past Wednesday, rallying from a 13-point deficit in the first half to pick up its third signature win of the season (Syracuse and Boston College). UMASS PLAYERS TO WATCH The Minutemen are led by Gary Forbes (20.8 points per game) and Ricky Harris (18.9) as UMass is one of three schools in the nation with a pair of NCAA Top 50 scorers. Forbes is first in the Atlantic 10 Conference in defensive rebounding with 6.23 per game (with a season-best 11 against Boston University) and seventh in assists per game with 3.6. Harris has emerged as a major weapon on offense and tied a career-high with 25 points in a win against cross-state rival Boston College in December. He also leads leads the A-10 in steals per game with 2.3.

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Game Notes | Read UMass’ Game Preview | Season Stats

Upcoming Home Games at Memorial Gym
Saturday, Jan. 5, vs. UMass at 3 p.m. CT
Wednesday, Jan. 9, vs. South Carolina at 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. LSU at 12 p.m. CT

NASHVILLE – #15/15 Vanderbilt welcomes 11-2 UMass to Memorial Gym for the first career meeting between the two schools Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. in a game that will be televised by Charter/Comcast Sports Southeast. Joe Fisher and Tim Thompson will have the call on the Vanderbilt/ISP Radio Network.

Vanderbilt knocked off Rice, 76-58, behind a 24-point performance by the SEC’s leading scorer, senior wing Shan Foster. Foster, who needs only nine more three pointers to become the school’s all-time leader for three pointers made in a career, averages 20.4 points per game. The Commodores at 14-0 are one of only six teams in the nation (North Carolina, Memphis, Ole Miss, Kansas, and Washington State are the others) with an unblemished record this far into the season.

For the second consecutive game, the Commodores started the second half on a scoring run to put the game out of reach. Leading 31-26 against the Owls, Vanderbilt scored the first 11 points of the second half to take a 42-26 lead. Rice never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Three-point shooting proved the difference in the game with Rice. While the Commodores made 8-of-23 (34.8 percent) from three, the Owls only knocked down 1-of-8 (12.5 percent), with the three coming in the last minute of play.

Freshman center A.J. Ogilvy added 14 points for the Commodores and recorded his second-straight nine-rebound game. Ogilvy has scored double-figures in every game this season. Senior Alex Gordon also added double digits with 11 points.

The Minutemen and Commodores will meet for the first time Saturday afternoon in Vanderbilt’s last non-conference game of the 2007-08 campaign. This is the first of a home and home meeting with UMass; Vanderbilt will visit Amherst this time next year. Vanderbilt owns a 17-13 record all-time against the Atlantic 10.

UMass enters the game with an 11-2 record and has posted impressive victories at Syracuse, at Boston College, and most recently, against a feisty Houston team at home in the Mullins Center. Forward Gary Forbes leads the Minutemen, averaging 20.8 points per contest, while sophomore guard Ricky Harris adds 18.9 points per game. Etienne Brewer (11.1 ppg) and Chris Lowe (12.0 ppg) also average double digits for UMass.

Minutemen coach Travis Ford will return to familiar surroundings Saturday afternoon after playing for Kentucky from 1992-94. Ford is in his third season in Amherst, and has compiled a 48-26 record. Overall as a head coach, Ford has a record of 176-137.

Season tickets for the 2007-08 season are sold out for this season at Memorial Gym. There will be no individual game tickets for the SEC season, and a very limited number of tickets are available for Saturday’s game with UMass. It marks the first time since the 1992-93 season that Memorial Gym has sold out. For more information, contact the Vanderbilt ticket office at (615) 322-GOLD.

UMASS’ PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

# Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG APG Hometown 3 Gary Forbes F 6’7 220 Sr. 20.8 7.7 3.6 Brooklyn, N.Y. 5 Ricky Harris G 6’2 185 So. 18.9 2.1 2.3 (s) Baltimore, Md. 14 Chris Lowe G 6’0 170 Jr. 12.0 2.9 5.5 Mount Vernon, N.Y. 22 Eitenne Brower F 6’8 215 Sr. 11.1 6.2 1.5 West Hempstead, N.Y. 31 Luke Bonner C 7’1 245 Jr. 4.7 2.9 1.0 (b) Concord, N.H.