Jan. 10, 2015
Teams: No. 14/15 Mississippi State (18-0, 3-0) at Vanderbilt (8-7, 0-3)
Day, Date: Sunday, Jan. 11
Tip-off time: 2 p.m. (CT)
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville, Tenn.)
Radio: 560 AM & 95.9 FM
Viewing: SEC Network-Plus (online)
Tickets: All tickets are on sale for $1 and can be purchased by calling 615-322-GOLD, visiting the McGugin Center ticket office or logging on to vucommodores.com.
The daunting challenges just keep coming for the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team. After recently facing two consecutive Top 10 opponents, the Commodores (8-7, 0-3) are now set to square off on Sunday against a Mississippi State team that has become one of college basketball’s biggest — and most surprising — stories of the season. The Bulldogs have roared out to an 18-0 start, and have climbed to No. 14 in the Associated Press poll. They are 3-0 in the conference for the first time in team history, and their 18-game winning streak is the program’s all-time longest. Vanderbilt, conversely, has endured a tough start in SEC play, and the Commodores own an 0-3 conference record for the first time in head coach Melanie Balcomb’s tenure. Here are a few storylines surrounding Sunday’s contest:
l STRUGGLING TO SCORE: Much like the weather in Nashville, the Commodores have hit a cold snap. During the past two games — a 57-49 loss to Tennessee and a 64-44 road loss to LSU — the Commodores have been ensnared in a shooting slump that has resulted in some very un-Vanderbilt-like numbers. The Commodores went a combined 32-for-94 (34 percent) from the floor in the two losses and were limited to 16 field goals in each game. The Commodores, traditionally one of the SEC’s best-shooting teams, went 9-of-32 (28 percent) from 3-point range in the two games, including a 2-of-15 performance against LSU. The cold shooting even spilled over to the foul line, where the Commodores were 20-of-34 (59 percent) in the two games. Last season, Vanderbilt led the SEC and ranked third in the nation in 3-point percentage (40) and ranked 12th nationally in field goal percentage (45.9).
l THE CHEAP SEATS: Vanderbilt is hosting its annual “Jam the Gym” promotion for Sunday’s game, and all tickets are just $1. Tickets can purchased in advance or at the ticket windows (with no change to the price). … Before the game, fans can visit the Kids Zone for the first time this season. The Kids Zone, which opens at 12:30 p.m., is located in the practice gym, and will include inflatables, face painting and snow cones. … Last season, the Commodores produced a memorable performance during the Jam the Gym game as they downed nationally-ranked LSU, 79-70, in front of a crowd of 6,020. It was one of the largest and loudest crowds of the season.
l DEMANDING SCHEDULE: There are currently six ranked teams in the SEC — and by next weekend, the Commodores will have faced four of them. Vanderbilt opened SEC play with a 75-61 loss to 9/8 Texas A&M on Jan. 2, and then dropped a 57-49 decision at home to No. 7/9 Tennessee three days later. The trend continues this week with Sunday’s game against No. 14/15 Mississippi State, followed by a trip to Georgia to face the Lady Bulldogs — currently ranked No. 20/19 — next Sunday. (Vanderbilt has a non-conference game against Alabama-Huntsville on Jan. 15 at Memorial Gym).
l SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: Mississippi State has an explosive offensive, and leads the SEC in scoring at 81.1 points per game (which ranks ninth in the nation). … The Bulldogs are also playing outstanding defense. They are limiting their opponents to 20.3 percent shooting from 3-point range, which is the lowest mark in the nation. … They are No. 1 in the SEC and eighth nationally in field-goal defense (33.4 percent). … The Bulldogs are led in scoring by a pair of freshman, Victoria Vivians and Morgan William, who are both averaging double figures in scoring … Vivians, a 6-1 post player, is averaging 15.5 points per game. William, a 5-5 guard, is averaging 10.5 per game. … The Bulldogs have four players who are averaging five or more rebounds per game: Chinwe Okorie (5.8 rpg), Breanna Richardson (5.8) Martha Alwal (5.7) and Vivians (5.6). … MSU ranks third in the SEC in 3-point percentage (35.0) and second in free throw percentage (72.2).
l SIZING UP THE SERIES: Sunday’s game marks the 51st all-time match-up between the Commodores and the Bulldogs. … Vanderbilt owns a 35-15 lead in the series, which dates back to to the 1977-78 season. … The Commodores have dominated MSU at Memorial Gym, winning 18 of 20 games in Nashville. … During her time at Vanderbilt, head coach Melanie Balcomb has gone 11-5 against the Bulldogs, including owning a 7-1 mark versus MSU in Memorial Gym. … Mississippi State won the most recent matchup between the teams, posting a 64-62 victory in Starkville last season (More on that game below). … The Commodores have gone 32-8 against Mississippi State since the 1982-83 season after going just 3-7 against them prior to that season. … Prior to last year’s game, Vanderbilt had won six straight games and 11 of the previous 14 against MSU.
l NEWCOMERS TO THE POLLS: When Mississippi State broke into the AP poll on Nov. 24, it marked the first time the Bulldogs had been ranked since the 2009-10 season. The Bulldogs have since climbed into the Top 15, representing their first appearance there since the 2002-03 season.
l HOW MISSISSIPPI STATE HAS FARED. While tearing out to their 18-0 start, the Bulldogs have put together some impressive — and even historic — numbers. Not only is Mississippi State off to its best-ever start, but the 18-game winning streak is the longest in the program’s history. This is also MSU’s first-ever 3-0 start in conference play. … The Bulldogs have knocked off two ranked foes this season, beating No. 17/16 West Virginia, 74-61, in Starkville on Nov. 20 and downing No. 19/19 Georgia, 64-56, in their SEC opener on Jan. 2. … Mississippi State played eight of its first nine games at home, and won seven of those games by double digits, including five wins by 30 points or more. … MSU has held 13 of its last 14 opponents below 60 points, with nine of those finishing below 50 points.
l LOOKING BACK: In last season’s matchup, Mississippi State’s Martha Alwal’s scored in the paint with three seconds left to lift the Bulldogs to a 64-62 win over Vanderbilt in Starkville. It was the Bulldogs’ first win over Vanderbilt since the 2009-10 season. … Alwal finished with a game-high 23 points. … Former Vanderbilt star Christina Foggie scored a team-high 15 points and became Vanderbilt’s all-time leader in 3-pointers when she knocked down a shot late in the first half. It was the 257th of her career. … Vanderbilt’s Morgan Batey had a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Jasmine Lister also had 13 points. … Breanna Richardson finished with 16 for Mississippi State, which ended a six-game losing streak in the series. … Vanderbilt built a 10-point lead midway through the first half, and owned a 28-21 lead at the break. But Mississippi State rallied back to take its first lead of the game, 50-49, on a basket by Dominique Dillingham with 7:17 to go, and the teams traded clutch baskets the rest of the way. … Both teams shot the ball effectively in the second half, with Vanderbilt making 13-of-21 attempts (61.9 percent) and Miss. State going 15-of-25 (60 percent). But the Commodores missed some costly free throws, going 6-of-11 in the final 20 minutes and they finished 12-of-19 for the game. Miss. State was 16-of-20 at the line.
l MOST RECENT GAME: COMMODORES DROP THIRD STRAIGHT: In its most recent game, Vanderbilt suffered a 64-44 at LSU on Thursday night. The loss dropped Vanderbilt to 0-3 in the SEC, marking the first time in head coach Melanie Balcomb’s tenure that the Commodores (8-7 overall) have opened conference play with three straight losses. … LSU (8-7, 2-1) generated 29 points off of Vanderbilt’s 24 turnovers. … Vanderbilt has now lost six straight games on LSU’s home floor, and has been held to 59 points or less in six of its past eight trips to Baton Rouge. … DeShawn Harden scored a game-high 18 points for LSU, and Raigyne Moncrief added 13 points and nine rebounds. … Vanderbilt, which shot just 34 percent from the floor, was led by Paris Kea with 10 points. Heather Bowe had 10 rebounds. … The game was tied 38-38 at the midway mark of the second half before the Commodores endured a scoreless drought that lasted almost seven minutes. LSU reeled off 14 straight points in that span to build a 52-38 lead. Bowe finally ended the dry spell with a basket in the paint, but by that point, LSU was in control.
l FINALLY AT FULL STRENGTH: After enduring a series of injuries in December, the Commodores have healed up. All 13 players on the roster have been available for the past two games. Prior to that, the Commodores were not at full strength during any of their first 13 games, as six different players had been sidelined at various times with injuries, illnesses and other reasons. Freshman Khaléann Caron-Goudreau had missed the most time, sitting out the first 12 games of the season while recovering from an ankle injury. Also, junior Heather Bowe was unavailable for the first eight games while serving a suspension for violation of academic policy. Others who have missed time include: Sophomore Marqu’es Webb (who missed four games in December with a knee injury); Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau (who missed three games in December after sustaining a concussion in practice); freshman Rachel Bell (who missed the SEC opener with flu-like symptoms) and Kristen Gaffney (who missed a game in late November with illness).
l CHANGING IT UP. The Commodores have used eight different starting lineups this season, and junior Morgan Batey, who seen action at all five positions this season, is the only Vanderbilt player to start every game. The first change to the lineup came in just the second game of the season, and it changed again in the fourth game. Since then, new combinations have been used in Game 8, Game 9, Game 11, Game 13 and Game 14.