Dec. 2, 2014
Teams: Mississippi Valley State (0-5) vs. RV/RV Vanderbilt (5-2)
Day, Date: Wednesday, Dec. 3
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)
After a smooth and successful start to the season, the Commodores (5-2) tasted their first real adversity of the year while completing in last week’s Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. After opening the tournament with an impressive win over Minnesota on Friday night, Vanderbilt suffered two consecutive losses, falling to No. 3-ranked UConn in the semifinals and to Arizona State in the third-place game. Along the way, the Commodores also dealt with multiple injuries during the trip (details below). However, Vanderbilt is hoping to be close to full strength on Wednesday, when the Commodores host Mississippi Valley State. Here’s a few storylines surrounding the game:
l CARON-GOUDREAU BATTLING EYE INJURY: Freshman star Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau is recovering from an eye injury she sustained during Saturday’s Gulf Coast Showcase semifinal game against UConn. Caron-Goudreau was poked in the left eye when a UConn player attempted to take the ball from her during the first half. Caron-Goudreau had to be helped off the floor by the VU medical staff, and she missed the rest of the game. She returned to the starting lineup the following night (for the third-place game against Arizona State), but wore dark sun glasses on the bench when she wasn’t playing. Caron-Goudreau leads the team in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and is tied with Rebekah Dahlman for the team lead in scoring (10.1 ppg).
l SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE: The Devilettes (0-5), of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, have endured a tough start to the 2014-15 campaign. They’ve lost their first five game by an average margin of 27.2 points, including a 40-point loss at Tulane and a 53-point setback at Ole Miss. However, MVSU was more competitive in its most recent game on Nov. 29 when they suffered a nine-point loss (71-62) at George Mason. The Devilettes are averaging 48.8 points per game and are allowing an average of 76 per game. Senior post player A’Shanti Weathers leads the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game, and sophomore post player Christina Reed is the team’s top rebounder at 6.0 per game. The Devilettes have defended well against the 3-pointer the season, holding opponents to just 22 percent shooting (18-of-81) from behind the arc.
l SIZING UP THE SERIES: Today’s game is the third all-time meeting between Vanderbilt and MVSU, but is the first since the 1986-87 season. The Commodores own a 2-0 edge in the series, posting a 77-63 victory in Itta Bena, Miss., on Jan. 26, 1986 and then winning 101-70 the following season in Nashville on Nov. 28, 1986.
l ROAD WARRIORS: Today’s game continues a long stretch of road games for the Devilettes, who have yet to play a home game this season. (They’ve played four road games and one game at a neutral site). After today’s contest, MVSU finally has a pair of home games — hosting Talladega on Dec. 6 and Philander Smith on Dec. 13 — before hitting the road again for four straight games against Mississippi State (Dec. 15), Memphis (Dec. 19), Alabama (Dec. 28) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Jan. 3). Meanwhile, Vanderbilt isn’t getting much home cooking, either. The Commodores are in the midst of a long stretch where they play just one home game — Wednesday’s contest — in the span of 26 days. Vanderbilt hasn’t played at Memorial Gym since beating St. Louis on Nov. 24, and after Wednesday, the Commodores won’t play again at home until Dec. 21. Vanderbilt did, however, open the season with three home games in 10 days (Nov. 14, Nov. 17 and Nov. 24), winning all three.
l GAFFNEY DOING WORK: Redshirt sophomore Kristen Gaffney missed the opening game of the Gulf Coast Showcase with an injury, but she made a big splash when she returned. Gaffney was the Commodores’ leading scorer over the final two games of the tourney, scoring 27 total points while going 12-of-16 from the floor. Gaffney scored 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting against UConn, and followed that up with a career-high 15 points against Arizona State. She was 6-of-6 from the floor against the Sun Devils. Gaffney pulled down five rebounds in each game.
l BALANCING ACT: It’s almost as if the Vanderbilt players are taking turns being the leader scorer. Through seven games, the Commodores have had six different players grab game-high scoring honors, with Rebekah Dahlman being the lone repeat. The list has included Morgan Batey, Marqu’es Webb, Rachel Bell, Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau and Christa Reed. Here’s the breakdown:
Opponent – VU leading scorer – points
Belmont – Batey – 15
Green Bay – Webb – 13
Wisconsin – Dahlman – 18
St. Louis – Bell – 18
Minnesota – Caron-Goudreau – 21
UConn – Reed – 17
Arizona State – Dahlman – 19
l PROMOTIONS: When the starting lineups are being introduced on Wednesday, the members of Vanderbilt’s starting five will each throw a T-shirt into the crowd. Vanderbilt fans can also look forward to several in-game promotions, including the T-shirt toss (thrown by cheerleaders during timeouts) and gold-shaker giveaways, along with free posters and wallet-sized schedules that are available at the marketing tables. After the game, the Vanderbilt players will throw miniature basketballs into the stands.
l LOOKING AHEAD: Vanderbilt fans can get in the festive spirit at Memorial Gym in the days ahead. The Commodores’ game on Dec. 21 against Dayton has been designated to include the annual “Teddy Bear Toss” promotion, which is always one of the most popular events of the season. More details on the promotion will be available soon, but for now, fans can begin shopping for Teddy Bears and other stuffed animals to bring to the gym. The stuffed animals will be donated to local children as Christmas presents. Also, the Dec. 21 game against Dayton will be “Ugly Sweater Day” at Memorial Gym. All fans who wear a gaudy Christmas sweater to the game can get a ticket for the discounted price of $5. NOTE: The Vanderbilt men’s team will host Ugly Sweater Night on Dec. 22, and fans wearing ugly sweaters can get a ticket for $10.