Feb. 11, 2011
Vanderbilt Game Notes 
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#4/4 Tennessee (23-2, 11-0) at Vanderbilt (17-7, 8-3 SEC)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011
Time: 5:02 pm CT
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Venue: Memorial Gymnasium (14,168)
Radio: 560 AM (Charlie Mattos)
TV: ESPNU (Sam Gore, play-by-play; Stephanie Ready, analyst)
Webcast: None
Series: Tennessee leads 56-7
Last Meeting: January 15, 2011 (#5/6 Tennessee 68 – Vanderbilt 56 (Knoxville))
The top two teams in the SEC standings will face off at Memorial Gym at 5 p.m. Sunday when the Commodores host first-place Tennessee. Vanderbilt has won four straight games since losing at Kentucky on Jan. 23 and has moved from fifth to second in the SEC standings during its winning streak.
Vanderbilt (17-7, 8-3 SEC) is coming off road wins at Florida in double overtime last Sunday and at No. 24/RV Georgia on Thursday. Meanwhile Tennessee (23-2, 11-0 SEC) has won 14 straight and holds a three-game lead over second-place Vanderbilt in the standings.
The Commodores are 12-0 at home for just the third time in school history and can become the first Vanderbilt team to go 13-0 with a win against the Lady Vols.
Sunday’s game will air on ESPNU with Sam Gore and Stephanie Ready on the call. It is Vanderbilt’s sixth straight game that will air on television. Four of Vanderbilt’s final five regular season games will air on television. Vanderbilt will be playing on ESPNU for the second time this season and first since Jan. 23 at Kentucky.
There are many special events surrounding Sunday’s game. Former Vanderbilt great Chantelle Anderson (2000-03) will have her jersey retired in a special ceremony at halftime. She will be just the fourth player in school history to have her jersey hung from the rafters. Vanderbilt is also having its first-ever Women’s Basketball Reunion for former letterwinners and staff. More than 30 former Commodores are expected to return and will be recognized at halftime.
All tickets to the game have been allocated and no tickets will be available day of the game. In addition to season and single game ticket sales, Vanderbilt officials worked with a variety of campus, community and youth groups, the largest of which was the university’s Employee Celebration department in promoting the game. The athletics department has annually promoted a successful football tailgate with the Employee Celebration office and this year the initiative was expanded for this marquee basketball game.
Vanderbilt lost 68-56 in the first meeting of the season (Jan. 15) between the two schools in Knoxville. The Commodores dug themselves into a 21-5 hole and scored just 17 first-half points on 18.9 percent shooting. The slow start prooved to be too much to overcome as Tennessee moved to 26-0 all-time in Knoxville against Vanderbilt.
Tennessee is coming off a 61-39 win over Florida on Thursday and will be playing its third game of the week, including its second on the road. The Lady Vols won at #15/18 Kentucky 73-67 on Monday.
Vanderbilt has lost five straight in the series with its last win (74-58) coming Jan. 11, 2009 at Memorial Gym.
Vanderbilt’s game against Tennessee 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.
Last Time Out
Vanderbilt withstood a furious Georgia run and scored the game’s final nine points to earn a 69-59 win over the 24th-ranked Lady Bulldogs on Thursday at Stegeman Coliseum. The win moved Vanderbilt from fourth to second place in the SEC standings.
Vanderbilt (17-7, 8-3 SEC) led by five at the half and extended its lead to as many as 16 points before Georgia (18-6, 8-3 SEC) went on a 17-2 run to cut Vanderbilt’s lead to one with 2:56 to play.
The lead was trimmed to one when Georgia’s Meredith Mitchell hit her first foul shot, but she missed her second which would have tied the game at 60. Following her miss, Vanderbilt would seal the win by scoring the game’s final nine points, six of which came courtesy of Jasmine Lister. Lister finished with a career-high 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting.
Vanderbilt has now won two in a row on the road for the first time this season and has won seven of the last eight meetings with Georgia.
The Commodores moved to second in the standings after Kentucky lost at South Carolina.
About Tennessee
Tennessee has won 14 straight games with its only losses coming to Georgetown and Baylor. The Lady Vols are one of only two SEC teams (Georgia) the Commodores have a losing record against. Vanderbilt is 7-56 against Tennessee with the last win coming Jan. 11, 2009 in Nashville (74-58).
Tennessee may be without senior guard Angie Bjorklund, who has missed four straight games with a right foot injury.
Four players average double figures, led by Meighan Simmons, who is averaging 14.4 points per game. Bjorklund was averaging 11.3 points before her injury.
Tennessee Series
Vanderbilt is 7-56 all-time against Tennessee and is 0-26 all-time in Knoxville. In the six meetings since the 2008-09 season, Vanderbilt has posted a win and three of the five Vanderbilt losses have been decided by single digits. Head Coach Melanie Balcomb is 1-19 against the Lady Vols. In the eight meetings between Coach Summitt and Coach Balcomb at Memorial Gym, the Lady Vols have an average margin of victory of 7.75, which includes VU’s 16-point triumph in 2009. Three of the seven VU losses have been decided by 10 or fewer points.
Vanderbilt’s Wins
The Commodores have defeated Tennessee seven times in school history. Here’s a look at those wins. Five of the seven wins have come at Memorial Gym.
1/11/09 – Vanderbilt 74, Tennessee 58 (Nashville)
2/2/02 – Vanderbilt 76, Tennessee 59 (Nashville)
3/3/01 – Vanderbilt 77, Tennessee 74 (Memphis – SEC Tournament Semifinals)
3/6/95 – Vanderbilt 67, Tennessee 61 (Chattanooga – SEC Tournament Championship)
12/6/90 – Vanderbilt 80, Tennessee 66 (Nashville)
2/4/87 – Vanderbilt 77, Tennessee 76 (Nashville)
1/13/85 – Vanderbilt 84, Tennessee 77 (Nashville)
Chantelle Anderson’s Jersey to be Retired
Chantelle Anderson (2000-03) will have her jersey retired in a halftime ceremony during Sunday’s Tennessee game. Anderson scored more points than any player in school history – male or female. She is also the program’s only two-time Kodak All-American.
Anderson is the fourth player to have her jersey retired, joining Clyde Lee (43) and Perry Wallace (25) on the men’s side and Wendy Scholtens (40) from the women’s team.
Vanderbilt does not retire numbers, only jerseys, thus, Anderson’s No. 21 will still be available to future student-athletes.
Women’s Basketball Reunion
Vanderbilt is having its first ever wome’s basketball reunion on Sunday. More than 30 players are expected back for the game and will be recognized at halftime.
Four-Game Winning Streak Stats
Vanderbilt has won a season-best four straight SEC games after beginning league play 4-3. During the win streak, Vanderbilt is shooting 51.8 percent from the floor and outrebounding teams by 6.5 rebounds per game.
The Commodores have also been sharing the ball well and had assists on 75 of the 115 baskets (65.2%).
Vanderbilt is also holding opponents to 34.5 percent shooting during the win streak, including 20.5 percent from three. Not counting the double overtime win at Florida, Vanderbilt has limited the other opponents to 59 or fewer points.
Best Home Starts
Vanderbilt is 12-0 at home this season, matching its best home start in school history with the 2001-02 and 1992-93 teams. This is the 34th season of Vanderbilt basketball.
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. This year, the Commodores finished their non-conference slate undefeated (7-0) for the first time since going 9-0 during the 2006-07 season.
Not Living by the Three
Vanderbilt has long been known as a team with outstanding three-point shooting. The Commodores are again terrific from beyond the arc, but in wins against LSU and Florida, Vanderbilt prooved it can win without the trifecta. Against LSU and Florida, Vanderbilt combined to make just five three-pointers — the fewest in a two-game span this season. The Commodores made 5-of-16 attempts at Georgia and has now made just 10 in their last three games. During the win streak, the team is shooting 34.7 percent from three.
One Win from 200 in SEC
Vanderbilt needs one more win to have 200 total in SEC play. Tennessee, LSU and Georgia are the only other teams to reach 200 league wins. Vanderbilt is currently 199-141 in SEC play.
Lister Regaining Her Stroke from Three
Jasmine Lister began the season on fire from beyond the arc, hitting 49.2% (31-63) of her three-pointers before the team broke for the holidays on Dec. 22. However, in the seven games following Christmas, Lister made just 21.5% of her threes (11-51). Lister found her stroke again against Arkansas on Jan. 20 when she made a career-high 5-of-7 threes. Since the Arkansas game, Lister has made 13-of-27 three-pointers (48.1%).
Holzer Named SEC Player of the Week
Stephanie Holzer was named SEC Player of the Week on Feb. 7 after averaging 23 points and six rebounds in wins against LSU and at Florida. Holzer is the first SEC freshman to win the award since 2005. Her award was the second of the season for the Commodores, marking the first time since 2005 Vanderbilt has had two players earn SEC Player of the Week honors in the same season.
Rhoads Reaches 500 Assists
Senior Jence Rhoads had three assists against LSU to reach 500 in her career. Rhoads became just the fifth player in school history to reach 500 assists and the first since Dee Davis (04-07).
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 has already topped 1,000 points and 500 assists and enters Sunday’s game with 394 rebounds.
70 is the Magic Number
Vanderbilt is 16-1 when it holds an opponent to less than 70 points and 1-6 when an opponent scores at least 70 points. The only loss when an opponent scored less than 70 came at Tennessee when the Lady Vols scored 68. The only win when an opponent scored more than 70 was the double overtime win at Florida. Vanderbilt is also 12-0 when its scores at least 70 points.
Two Straight on the Road
After starting the year 2-7 on the road, Vanderbilt has won two straight away from home. The winning streak on the road is Vanderbilt’s longest of the season.
Double Overtime Win in the Swamp
Vanderbilt earned a 103-97 win in double overtime at Florida on Sunday. It was Vanderbilt’s first double overtime game since Feb. 3, 2005 at Mississippi State — also a win (106-98). The overtime game was Vanderbilt’s first of the season, and the Commodores have now won five straight overtime games. It was Vanderbilt’s sixth all-time double overtime game. Vanderbilt has never played a game that has spanned longer than two OT’s. The 200 combined points in the game were the second most in school history behind the 204 points in the Mississippi State game in 2005.