Nov. 13, 2014
Teams: Belmont (0-0) vs. RV/RV Vanderbilt (0-0)
Day, Date: Friday, Nov. 14
Tip-off time: 7 p.m. CT
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville, Tenn.)
Tickets: Tickets can be purchased by calling 615-322-GOLD, visiting the McGugin Center ticket office or logging on to vucommodores.com.
Radio: 560 AM & 95.9 FM
Viewing: SEC Network-Plus (online)
The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team created a buzz with an impressive performance in last week’s exhibition game. Now, the Commodores are ready for the real thing. Equipped with a roster that features both proven players and potential impact performers, the Commodores open the 2014-15 season on Friday night, hosting in-town rival Belmont at Memorial Gym at 7 p.m. Vanderbilt is coming off an 18-13 season that culminated in the team’s 15th consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. Belmont posted a 14-18 record last season. Here’s a look at few of the storylines surrounding Friday’s season opener:
l Commodores shake up Coker. Fueled by a strong performance from their freshmen, the Commodores rolled to a 93-31 win over Coker in last Saturday’s exhibition game at Memorial Gym. The freshman foursome of Rachel Bell, Paris Kea, Christa Reed and Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau combined for 43 points, 16 rebounds, 12 assists and nine steals. Bell finished with a game-high 19 points, and Reed added 14 points while going 6-of-8 from the floor. Caron-Goudreau recorded a game-high 10 rebounds, and Kea produced a team-high six assists. “I think there’s a little bit of everything (among the freshmen),” said head coach Melanie Balcomb, “and that’s what I love about the class.” Redshirt freshman Rebekah Dahlman had 11 points and three rebounds, and junior Morgan Batey added 12 points and six rebounds.
l Opening things up. Season openers have traditionally been good to the Commodores. Home openers? Even better. Vanderbilt enters tonight’s game having won eight straight season-openers, dating back to a 69-60 road loss to Arizona State in their first game of the 2005-06 campaign. More impressively, the Commodores have won 28 consecutive home openers. They haven’t started a season 0-1 at Memorial Gym since falling to Texas Tech, 74-69, on Nov. 24, 1985.
l Sizing up the Series. Friday’s game marks the 14th all-time meeting between the Commodores and the Bruins, but is only the second game between the neighborhood rivals since the 1988-89 season. Vanderbilt owns a 9-4 lead in the series, and has won seven straight against Belmont, including rolling to a 104-43 victory in the most recent matchup on Nov. 23, 2007. Prior to that game, the teams hadn’t faced each other since the 1988-89 season, when VU posted an 82-51 victory. The Commodores are 5-3 against Belmont at Memorial Gym, and 4-1 on the Bruins’ home court. (Note: For complete list of games in the series, see bottom of the page).
l Dahlman earns SEC honor. Vanderbilt redshirt freshman Rebekah Dahlman was named to the preseason All-SEC Second Team last week as determined by the annual voting by the conference coaches. Dahlman was in the starting lineup for Vanderbilt’s first nine games last season before being sidelined with a blood clot in December and missing the rest of the season. She was leading the SEC and ranked 10th in the nation in 3-point percentage at 51.4 percent (18-of-35) at the time of her injury.
l Roster news. Vanderbilt junior Heather Bowe will not be available for action while serving a suspension for a violation of university academic policy. Bowe is expected to be reinstated by the NCAA at the end of this semester.
l Commodores commanding attention. Although Vanderbilt did not crack the preseason Top-25 rankings, the Commodores received votes in both the AP and USA Today polls. Inside the SEC, the Commodores are again projected for a strong showing, with the media predicting a fifth-place finish for Vanderbilt and the SEC coaches tabbing the Commodores for sixth place.
l Looking for new leaders. The graduation of Christina Foggie and Jasmine Lister — two of the most decorated players in the program’s history — means that the Commodores will need some new leaders to emerge. Foggie and Lister combined to score 1,015 points of Vanderbilt’s 2,218 total points, and they also combined for 133 of the team’s 166 three-pointers. Foggie ranks No. 7 on Vanderbilt’s career scoring list and is the program’s all-time leader in 3-pointers, and Lister graduated as the program’s all-time leader in minutes played, ranks No. 3 on Vanderbilt’s all-time assist list and No. 10 in scoring.
Vanderbilt vs. Belmont
All-time Results
1978-79
Belmont, 62-61
Vanderbilt, 50-46
1979-80
Belmont, 87-61
Belmont, 75-66
1981-82
Vanderbilt, 82-58
1982-83
Vanderbilt, 81-70
1983-84
Vanderbilt, 91-47
1986-87
Vanderbilt, 95-48
1987-88
Vanderbilt, 81-65
1988-89
Vanderbilt, 82-51
2007-08
Vanderbilt, 104-43