Jan. 21, 2012
Vandy Game Notes (vs. South Carolina) 
The No. 25/22 Vanderbilt women’s basketball team (14-4, 2-3 SEC) will look to snap a two-game skid on Sunday, January 22, when they play host to rv/rv South Carolina (14-5, 3-3 SEC). Tipoff is set for 12:30 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on ESPNU.
The game is Vanderbilt’s annual Jam the Gym promotion, with all tickets costing just $1. In addition, as with every Sunday home game in January, there will be a mini-clinic for children following the contest, with players available for autographs following the mini-clinic.
It is also the Commodores’ home game during the SEC-wide We Back Pat Week, helping to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s-type diseases through the Pat Summitt Foundation following the long-time Tennessee head coach’s diagnosis with early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type.
Scouting The Commodores
The Commodores return to the friendly confines of Memorial Gym, where they are 12-0 on the season, to face South Carolina. Vanderbilt will be looking to get revenge for a 65-55 setback in its SEC opener in Columbia, as well as rebound from a 69-47 loss at Arkansas in its last outing. Christina Foggie continues to lead the way for Vanderbilt, averaging 17.7 points per game, which leads the SEC. She scored a team-high 14 points in the loss to the Razorbacks. Also in double-figures for Melanie Balcomb’s squad are Jasmine Lister (12.2 ppg), Stephanie Holzer (10.9 ppg) and Tiffany Clarke (10.4 ppg). Clarke leads the team in rebouding at 7.1 per contest, while Lister is averaging a team-high 5.3 assists per outing. Clarke has seen her production increase significantly in SEC play, averaging 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in five conference games.
Scouting The Gamecocks
South Carolina travels to Nashville having lost three-straight SEC contests at LSU, versus No. 9/8 Kentucky and at Auburn. This came after Dawn Staley’s squad won their first three league games versus Alabama, Vanderbilt and at Florida. Markeshia Grant leads the team in scoring at 9.6 ppg, while Aleighsa Welch has been tops during the six league games at 11.0 ppg (9.0 ppg on the season). Welch is also the team’s leading rebounder at 6.1 per contest, while La’Keisha Sutton and Ieasia Walker run the offense and are posting a combined 5.5 assists per contest. Defense has driven the Gamecocks to a 14-5 record, as they allow a league-best 47.4 points per game. In fact, the only team to reach the 60-point mark against South Carolina was Kentucky in a 66-58 Wildcat win.
Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina – The Series
Vanderbilt holds a 20-7 edge in the all-time series versus South Carolina, following the Gamecocks’ 65-55 win in Columbia on January 5. The first meeting came in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Memorial Gym, with Vanderbilt taking a 73-64 win en route to a Sweet 16 appearance. The programs first met as conference foes in the 1991-92 season, with the Game- cocks taking a win in Columbia before Vanderbilt got revenge in the SEC Tournament. The teams have played every season since with two meetings in 1991-92, 1997-98, 1999-2000, 2005-06 and 2006-07. Last year, Vanderbilt took a 74-60 overtime win in Columbia. The Commodores were down 10 and rallied to send it into overtime, where they outscored the Gamecocks 18-4. Stephanie Holzer led the way with 19 points and six rebounds. Elan Brown had 12 points and eight boards. La’Keisha Sutton led the way for South Carolina with 20 points.
On Deck
The Commodores play the middle game of a three-game homestand, hosting Georgia on Thursday, January 26. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. at Memorial Gym and the game can be seen on CSS.