Dec. 2, 2014
UPDATE ON THE DORES
RECORD: 5-2
CURRENT STREAK: Lost two straight
UPCOMING GAMES:
Wednesday: host Mississippi Valley State, 7 p.m.
Dec.14: at Elon, 1 p.m.
After spending the Thanksgiving holidays in Florida while competing in the Gulf Coast Showcase, the Commodores are back home this week, and will host Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Vanderbilt will carry a 3-0 home record into the matchup with the Devilettes. Here’s a look at the coming days for the Commodores, along with a brief recap of their trip to Florida:
MISSING MEMORIAL
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 opened the season with three home games in 10 days (Nov. 14, Nov. 17 and Nov. 24), winning all three.
GIVE AWAYS
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. So be sure to make some noise when your favorite player is announced — you might just get a T-shirt from her! 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
UPCOMING EVENTS
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 their most 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.
RESULTS FROM THE SUNSHINE STATE
The RV/RV Commodores (5-2) traveled to Estero, Fla., this week for the Gulf Coast Showcase, where they posted a 1-2 record. Vanderbilt opened the tournament with a 71-54 win over Minnesota, but then lost to No. 3-ranked UConn, 91-52 in the semifinals, and fell to ArizonaState, 72-67, in the third-place game. In the opening round win over Minnesota, freshman Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau posted her third double-double of the season, finishing with 21 points and 14 rebounds — game-highs in each department — to help Vanderbilt improve to 5-0. Rebekah Dahlman also had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Against UConn, freshman Christa Reed was a bright spot for Vanderbilt, scoring a team-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. She became the sixth different player to lead VU in scoring through the first six games of theseason. Kristen Gaffney added 12 points for the Commodores. In the loss to Arizona State, Rebekah Dahlman scored a team-high 19 for the Commodores, and Gaffney added a career-high 15, going 6-of-6 from the floor. Morgan Batey had 10 points and Reed had nine.