Jan. 2, 2015
Vanderbilt Gamenotes 
| Yale Gamenotes
The Commodores will play their last game before conference play begins this Saturday afternoon when they welcome Yale to Memorial Gym for a 1 p.m. CT tip off. The game will be televised on SEC Network Plus, and can be heard on the Vanderbilt IMG College Radio Network throughout Middle Tennessee.
Vanderbilt won their last time out Wednesday afternoon at Saint Louis, 70-55. The Commodores had another good shooting day, converting on 54.3% of its shots from the floor and 54.5% from three (6-11) and 14-20 (70.0%) from the charity stripe. The win was the first on the road this season, and it was Vanderbilt’s first road win since defeating Texas A&M on February 15 last season and the first non-conference win on the road since December 6, 2012, in a win at Xavier. Both the Texas A&M game and Xavier games went to overtime. Vanderbilt out rebounded Saint Louis, 39-26, in the game with James Siakam leading the team with nine rebounds. Freshman Riley LaChance scored a game-high 19 points on 7-9 shooting and 3-4 from three. LaChance also added a career-best seven rebounds and four assists. Damian Jones also scored in double figures with 15 points.
Game 13/Vanderbilt (9-3) vs. Yale (10-4)
Nashville, Tenn. – Memorial Gym – 1 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network Plus
TV Talent: Kevin Ingram (pxp), Ross Neltner (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 leads series, 4-1.
Last Meeting: VU win, 87-72, on 11/30/84 at Memorial Gym.
Record at Vanderbilt: VU leads, 4-1.
Record at Yale: NA
Record at Neutral Site: NA
Coach Stallings vs. Yale: Coach Stallings has never faced Yale.
About Yale
Yale enters the game with a 10-4 overall record. The Bulldogs have registered wins over Southern Illinois, at Kent State, and at UConn this season. Yale is led by Justin Sears, who averages 13.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Javier Duren also averages double figures at 13.1 points per game. Saturday’s game will be a homecoming for Yale guard Jack Montague, who attended Brentwood High School. The junior guard averages 9.9 points per game.
The Commodores have a 4-1 series advantage against Yale, with all meetings coming in Nashville. The first meeting between the two schools came in the 1907-08 campaign. That was the Bulldogs’ only win in the series (27-23).
Stallings wins 300 vs. Penn
Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings won his 300th game against Penn, becoming one of five SEC coaches to win 300 or more games at one institution, joining Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp, Florida’s Billy Donovan, and LSU’s Dale Brown and Harry Rabenhorst.
LaChance leads all SEC Freshmen
Freshman Riley LaChance poured in a career-high 26 points in Vanderbilt’s win over Purdue on December 13 and claimed SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his performance, and then followed with another 26-point game against Western Carolina. It was the most points scored by a Commodore freshman since A.J. Ogilvy scored 27 points on March 13, 2008, in a first-round game of the SEC Tournament in Atlanta, and the first time a Commodore has scored 25 or more points in consecutive games since John Jenkins scored 26 at Ole Miss (2/16/12) and 28 at Georgia (2/19/12). LaChance is the leading freshman scorer in the SEC at 13.0 points per game, leads all SEC freshmen in three’s made per contest at 2.1 per game, which is fourth in the conference overall, and he leads the SEC overall in 3-point field goal percentage (.417).
Damian Jones leads Commodores
Sophomore post player Damian Jones is off to a great start to his sophomore campaign, averaging 16.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in the first 12 contests. Jones, a preseason All-SEC First Team selection by the league’s coaches, has scored 20+ points in four games this year and is second in the SEC in field goal percentage (.562), fifth in the SEC in scoring, 6th in rebounding, 5th in blocks (1.8), and 6th in defensive rebounding (4.6/game).
Vanderbilt among SEC leaders
The Commodores lead the SEC in FG% with 51.4%, and have shot 50% or better in seven games this year. VU is also 3rd in assists (16.8) and 2nd in 3-Pt FG% (.402).
High Conversion Rate
Vanderbilt has seven players making 50% or more of their shots from the floor, with Siakam leading the way at 67.1%. Josh Henderson (.619), Luke Kornet (.594), Shelby Moats (.571). Damian Jones (.562), Jeff Roberson (.513), and Wade Baldwin IV (.516) are also shooting above 50%. The Commodores are the most efficient team in the league, shooting 51.4% from the field, and are only attempting an average of 49.3 attempts per game, the least in the SEC. Arkansas leads the league with 63.6 attempts per game.
Assists Numbers
Vanderbilt has 201 assists against only 163 turnovers in the 2014-15 season, and has two players tied for third in the SEC in assists, with Wade Baldwin IV and Shelton Mitchell each averaging 4.8 assists per game. Vanderbilt is third in the league in assists (16.8/game). The Commodores have 183 assists on 279 made baskets, a 66.1% clip, the best in the SEC and the third-best in the nation.
Assist to Turnovers
The Commodores are on track to post their first positive assist-to-turnover ratio in a season since the 2010-11 season (454 assists, 441 turnovers that year).
Free Throws Galore
The Commodores made 38 of 43 free throws against Western Carolina, and was 22-22 at the charity stripe in the second half. It was the most made free throws in a game since Vanderbilt tied a school record with 40 against Kentucky on February 20, 1991.
Baldwin Off To Fast Start
Guard Wade Baldwin IV won his first SEC Freshman of the Week honor for his performance in wins over Lipscomb and Tenn. 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. Baldwin is tied for 3rd in the SEC in assists (4.8) and 2nd in A/TO ratio (298).
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 a career-high vs. Lipscomb, posting a career-high 24 points on 10-11 shooting from the floor, and is shooting 47.1% (16-34) from three on the year.
Siakam Coming On
Senior forward James Siakam has started to come on as of late, averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the last nine games coming off the bench. For the season, the Douala, Cameroon, native is averaging 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and is converting on 67.2% of his shots from the floor. He scored a season-high 20 points earlier this month against Western Carolina.
Three-Point Streak Still Intact
Vanderbilt has made a 3-pointer in 908 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.
Frontcourt Height
Vanderbilt’s starting frontline of 7-0, 6-10 & 6-6 is the second tallest in the SEC in terms of average height. Kentucky – 82.3 inches; Vanderbilt – 81.3 inches; LSU – 81.3 inches.
Commodores vs. the Ivy League
Vanderbilt has a 19-5 against the Ivy League. The Bulldogs will be VU’s 2nd Ivy League opponent this season – (Penn, 12/22, W, 79-50).