Feb. 1, 2011
Vanderbilt Game Notes 
| Webcast, Live Stats, Twitter
LSU (15-8, 5-4 SEC) at Vanderbilt (14-7, 5-3 SEC)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 30, 2011
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Venue: Memorial Gymnasium (14,168)
Radio: 560 AM (Charlie Mattos)
TV: SportSouth (Dave Neal, play-by-play; Debbie Antonelli, analyst)
Webcast: ESPN3.com
Series: Vanderbilt leads 21-16
Last Meeting: March 5, 2011 (Vanderbilt 63 – LSU 61 (SEC quarterfinals – Duluth, Ga.)
Coming off maybe their best all-around win on Sunday after topping Ole Miss 71-42 at Memorial Gymnasium, the Commodores will continue their homestand at 7 p.m. Thursday against LSU in what is shaping up to be a pivotal game in the SEC standings.
Vanderbilt (14-7, 5-3 SEC) is in fifth place in the SEC and are a half game up in the league standings over LSU (15-8, 5-4). The Commodores are 11-0 at home, while LSU is 4-4 away from Baton Rouge. Vanderbilt has won three of the last four meetings, including the last two game played in Nashville. Overall, Vanderbilt is 10-3 against LSU at Memorial Gym.
The game will air on SportSouth with Dave Neal and Debbie Antonelli on the call. It is Vanderbilt’s third straight game that will air on television. Seven of Vanderbilt’s final eight regular season games will air on television.
Vanderbilt will celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day at Thursday’s game. Student-athletes from Vanderbilt’s women’s teams will sign autographs in the concourse from 5:45 to 7 p.m. and youth girls basketball teams will scrimmage at halftime. Before th game, Head Coach Melanie Balcomb will be presented with a certificate of honor in recognition of her contributions to girls and women in sport in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The award will be presented by Dr. Sharon Shields, a professor in human and organizational development and past president of the National Association of Girls and Women in Sports.
LSU has won three of its last four games, including a 47-41 win over No. 20/24 Georgia on Sunday. LSU has played four straight home games and will be hitting the road for the first time since Jan. 16. LSU is one of the top defensive teams in the SEC. The Lady Tigers surrender just 53.4 points per game, which is tops in the league. In SEC play, LSU is giving up 54.9 points per game, which ranks second to Tennessee.
In Vanderbilt’s game against Ole Miss, the Commodores held Ole Miss to fewer points (42) and a lower field-goal percentage (25.4%) than any opponent this season. Vanderbilt also matched a season high with 49 rebounds and had 28 baskets on 21 assists.
Vanderbilt’s game against LSU will air on 560 AM in Nashville with veteran play-by-play announcer Charlie Mattos on the call. A webcast will also be available on ESPN3.com. Fans may listen to the audio of the game online by subscribing to All-Access on VUCommodores.com. Tickets are available for $10 and may be purchased on VUCommodores.com, over the phone at 615/322-GOLD or in person at the Vanderbilt box office.
Last Time Out
Earlier this season, Vanderbilt saw an 18-point advantage evaporate before its eyes at Ole Miss, but on Sunday with the largest home crowd of the season looking on the Commodores weren’t about to let another large first-half lead against the Rebels slip out of their grasps. Instead, the Commodores kept their foot on the gas in the second half and earned a 71-42 victory over Ole Miss at Memorial Gym.
Vanderbilt (14-7, 5-3 SEC) led by 20 at the half after leading by as many 22 in the first half and never let Ole Miss (9-11, 2-6 SEC) get within 20 points again as the Commodores won their 14th in a row at home over Ole Miss and improved to 11-0 at home for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
The Commodores did it with defense and offense on Sunday. Defensively, Vanderbilt held Ole Miss to 42 points on 25.4% shooting. Both marks were the lowest by a Vanderbilt opponent this season. In fact, the 42 points were the fewest by an SEC opponent since the Commodores held Arkansas to 34 points on Jan. 28, 2007.
Offensively, the story was the play of Angela Puleo, who took advantage of just her second start of the season. The junior guard hit 6-of-9 three-pointers to finish with a season-high 20 points.
About LSU
LSU is 15-8 overall and 5-4 in the SEC. The Lady Tigers are coached Van Chancellor, who is now in his fourth season in Baton Rouge. Chancellor has over 500 wins in the college ranks and has guided LSU to three straight NCAA Tournaments. Chancellor also has four WNBA Championships on his resume.
LSU has won three of its last four games, including a 47-41 win over Georgia on Sunday. The Tigers are led by sophomore guard Adrienne Webb, who is averaging 13.3 points per game and forward LaSondra Barrett, who is averaging 12.1 points per game.
LSU Series
Vanderbilt leads the all-time series with LSU 21-16 and are 10-3 all-time at Memorial Gym against the Lady Tigers. Vanderbilt has won three of the last four meetings and five of seven overall in the series. The Commodores have won two straight over LSU in Nashville with the last loss coming Jan. 23, 2005 (79-68).
Vanderbilt has met LSU each of the last two seasons in the SEC Tournament with the Commodores winning each year.
Head Coach Melanie Balcomb is 7-5 all-time against LSU and is 4-1 in games played in Nashville, including a 1-0 mark in the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena.
Best Home Starts
Vanderbilt is 11-0 at home this season for the first time since the 2006-07 season. If the Commodores win Thursday, they will move to 12-0 at home for the first time since also starting 12-0 during the 2001-02 season. A 12-0 start would also match a school record for starts to a season. The 1992-93 team also started 12-0 at home. As for consecutive wins at home spanning multiple seasons, Vanderbilt most recently won 13 straight games from the end of the 2005-06 season through the start of the 2006-07 season. The Commodores finished their non-conference slate undefeated (7-0) for the first time since going 9-0 during the 2006-07 season.
Rhoads Three Assists from 500
Senior Jence Rhoads enters Thursday’s game just three assists shy of 500 for her career. She will be just the fifth player in school history to have 500 career assists.
Rhoads Nearing Rare Company
Senior Jence Rhoads is well on her way to becoming the second player in school history to score 1,000 points, have 500 assists and collect 400 rebounds. Rhonda Blades (92-95) is the only other player to accomplish this feat. Rhoads recently topped 1,000 points and enters Thursday’s game with 497 assists and 381 rebounds.
70 is the Magic Number
Vanderbilt is 14-1 when it holds an opponent to less than 70 points and 0-6 when an opponent scores at least 70 points. The only loss came at Tennessee when the Lady Vols scored 68. Vanderbilt is also 11-0 when its scores at least 70 points.
Bumpy Road
Vanderbilt started 0-3 on the road for the first time since the 1998-99 season and were 1-5 and and now 2-7 on the road. The seven road losses are the most since the team went 5-9 away from home during the 1999-2000 season. VU is averaging 75.5 points per game in 11 home games and 68.8 points per game in nine road games. Even more telling is Vanderbilt’s defense at home and away. VU is giving up 70.8 points on the road and just 55.5 points at home. The 1-5 start on the road was the team’s worst since posting the same mark in 1998-99.
Youthful Commodores
Vanderbilt’s roster is one of the youngest in the conference. The 14-person roster includes nine underclassmen. Vanderbilt and Georgia are the only two teams in the SEC with four upperclassmen. Georgia has two juniors and two seniors.
Puleo Heating Up
Junior Angela Puleo, a Georgia transfer, has taken advantage of increased playing time. Against Ole Miss on Jan. 30, Puleo made 6-of-9 three-pointers to finish with a season-high 20 points in just her second start of the season. The six three-pointers came in a season-high 36 minutes and were a career best. The six trays also tied for the sixth most in school history in a single game.
Puleo’s performance came after going 4-for-5 from three at Kentucky. In her last two games, Puleo is 10-of-14 from beyond the arc (71.4%).
Generous Commodores
Vanderbilt leads the SEC in assists (16.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0). Vanderbilt also leads both categories in conference games only.
Holzer Foul Trouble Limits PT
Holzer has been very successful for Vanderbilt this season when she has been in the lineup, however her ability to stay out of foul trouble has been an issue. In 10 of the 17 games she has played, she has collected at least three fouls and has fouled out three times.
If Holzer were to play an entire 40 minutes, her projected output is astounding: 25.6 points,14.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks. However, she also averages 6.8 fouls per 40 minutes.
Getting Defensive
Vanderbilt had its best defensive effort of the season on Jan. 30 against Ole Miss. The Commodores held Ole Miss to 42 points and 25.4 percent shooting – both season lows for a Vanderbilt opponent. The 42 points were the fewest by a VU opponent since UT Martin scored 29 on Dec. 21, 2008. The field-goal percentage was also the lowest since UT Martin shot 17.6% from the floor in the same game.