Nov. 24, 2014
The Commodores will play their last game before heading to New York when they take on Norfolk State at Memorial Gym at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on SEC Network Plus, and can be heard on the Vanderbilt IMG College Radio Network throughout Middle Tennessee.
Vanderbilt moved to 3-0 on the season after a 78-46 win over Tennessee State on Sunday evening. Sophomore forward Luke Kornet scored a career-high 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting to lead the Commodores, and his shooting performance tied a Memorial Gym field goal percentage record held by Jeffery Taylor, who also was 10-for-11 from the floor against Tennessee State on December 19, 2009. Damian Jones and Riley LaChance each added 13 points in the Vanderbilt win.
Game 4/Vanderbilt (3-0) vs. Norfolk State (2-2)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 7 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network Plus
TV Talent: Kevin Ingram (pxp), Barry Booker (analyst)
Radio: Vanderbilt Radio Network from IMG College, vucommodores.com
Radio Talent: Joe Fisher (pxp), Tim Thompson (analyst)
Live Stats: vucommodores.com
Twitter Updates: @VandyMBB
Series Information
Series Record: Vanderbilt and Norfolk State have never met.
Coach Stallings vs. Norfolk St.: Coach Stallings has never faced Norfolk State.
About Norfolk State
Norfolk State enters Tuesday’s contest with a 2-2 overall record after defeating Texas Southern, 76-66, on November 22. Jeff Short leads all Norfolk State players in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game. Malik Thomas (14.0) and RaShid Gaston (12.0) are also averaging double digits.
Jones Second in SEC in Scoring
Sophomore post player Damian Jones is off to a great start to his sophomore campaign, averaging 19.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in three early contests. His point average is 2nd in the SEC in the early goings of the 2014-15 season. Jones, a preseason All-SEC First Team selection by the league’s coaches, tallied a career-high 24 points in the team’s season opener against Trevecca, and followed that up with a 21-point effort vs. Lipscomb. He is also 5th in SEC in rebounding, 4th in FG % (.688), T-2nd in blocks (2.7), and T-4th in defensive rebounding (6.0)
Freshman Contributing
The signing class of 2014, Wade Baldwin IV, Matthew Fisher-Davis, Riley LaChance, Shelton Mitchell, and Jeff Roberson all are contributing mightily to this year’s team. The five combined players are averaging 7.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, with LaChance leading the group with 11.7 points per game.
Strong Early Perimeter Play
The freshman trio of Wade Baldwin IV, Riley LaChance, and Shelton Mitchell have combined for 40 assists and only 13 turnovers in their first three games.
Baldwin Wins SEC Freshman of the Week
Guard Wade Baldwin IV won his first SEC Freshman of the Week honor for his performance in wins over Lipscomb and Tennessee State. The 6’3 guard from Belle Mead, N.J., averaged 9.5 points, 7.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in the two Vanderbilt wins. He also posted 10 assists in the win over TSU.
SEC’s Youngest Backcourt
The Commodores’ freshman backcourt is the youngest in the SEC. In fact, Vanderbilt is the only school in the league to start three freshmen at the three guard spots.
Luke Kornet: En Fuego
7’0 sophomore forward Luke Kornet had his coming out party against Lipscomb, posting a career-high 24 points on 10-11 shooting from the floor. He tied the Memorial Gym record for FG% held by Jeffrey Taylor, who was also 10-11 from the floor vs. Tennessee State on December 19, 2009. He also leads the SEC in field goal percentage after three games – he has made 17 of his 22 shots from the field for a 77.3% clip.
Three-Point Streak Still Intact
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 899 consecutive games, a streak which began at the inception of the 3-point line in 1986-87. The Commodores rank second only to UNLV for the longest streak in Division I basketball. Vanderbilt, UNLV and Princeton are the only three schools in college basketball to have made at least one 3-pointer in every game played since the 3-point line was implemented.
Second Game of Barclays Center Classic
The Commodores will play two home games as a part of the Barclays Classic, with the first coming against the Tigers on Sunday and the second coming against Norfolk State on Tuesday. The final two games take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Friday and Saturday, when the Commodores take on Rutgers on Friday and then either Virginia or LaSalle on Saturday.
Coach Stallings in 16th Year
Head Coach Kevin Stallings, the school’s all-time winningest coach, returns for his 16th season with the Commodores and 21st overall as a head coach. Stallings has 295 career wins at Vanderbilt and 418 overall as a head coach. He has seven 20-win seasons in the last 10 seasons, with six NCAA tournament appearances and two Sweet 16’s (2004 and 2007). Stallings has the most 20-win campaigns in Vanderbilt history with seven. After the win over Lipscomb Thursday, Coach Stallings is now alone in ninth place on the all-time SEC wins list with 295 victories, surpassing former Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury.
Stallings’ Non-Conference Success
Coach Stallings has a 124-14 record at Memorial Gym in non-conference games (15 years). Against Tennessee State, Stallings garnered his 200th career victory at Memorial Gym.
Three is the Magic Number
The Commodores has started three true freshmen (Shelton Mitchell, Riley LaChance, Jeff Roberson) this season for the first time since the 2009 SEC Tournament against Alabama on March 12, 2009. In that game, Vanderbilt started true freshmen Brad Tinsley, Jeffery Taylor, and Steve Tchiengang.