Jan. 17, 2015
Teams: Vanderbilt (10-7, 1-3) at No. 18/16 Georgia (15-3, 3-2)
Day, Date: Sunday, Jan. 18
Tip-off time: 1 p.m. (CT)
Site: Stegeman Coliseum (Athens, Ga.)
Radio: 560 AM & 95.9 FM
Viewing: SEC Network-Plus (online)
One week after ruining Mississippi State’s perfect record, the Vanderbilt women will try to pull off a similar feat on Sunday by saddling Georgia with its first home loss of the season. The Bulldogs (15-3, 3-2) have posted a 10-0 mark at Stegeman Coliseum — and they’ve done so in dominating fashion. Seven of the 10 victories have come by 17 points or more, including lopsided victories over two SEC opponents — a 64-47 win over Alabama and a 69-48 win over Missouri. Georgia’s defense has been especially impressive in the 10 games, limiting opponents to an average of 45.4 points per game. But the Bulldogs will have a difficult challenge keeping that trend going against the Commodores, who will enter the game on the heels of two straight hot-shooting performances. Vanderbilt shot a season-high 62 percent from the floor while knocking off previously-unbeaten Mississippi State last Sunday, and followed that up with a 60-percent showing during Thursday’s non-conference win over Alabama-Huntsville. Georgia enters Sunday’s game looking to rebound from a three-point road loss to Ole Miss on Thursday night. Here’s a look at few storylines surrounding Sunday’s game in Athens:
l MORGAN HAS BEEN MONEY: Morgan Batey has been the central figure during Vanderbilt’s recent shooting surge. The junior guard has gone 14-of-17 from the floor (82 percent) in the past two games while leading VU to wins over Mississippi State and Alabama-Huntsville. Batey went 7-of-9 from the floor and matched her career high with 18 points in the win over MSU, and then went 7-of-8 against UAH. Batey also produced 14 rebounds and six steals in the two games. The versatile Batey, who is the lone Commodore to start every game this season, is shooting 52 percent from the field for the season. Her two-game hot streak came directly after a two-game slump in which Batey was held scoreless during losses to Tennessee and LSU.
l THAT’S MORE LIKE IT: Vanderbilt is traditionally one of the best-shooting teams in the SEC, and the Commodores have flashed that form in the past two games while shooting 61.5 percent (48-of-78) from the field. Vanderbilt was also effective at the foul line, making 53-of-68 attempts (77.9 percent). Vanderbilt is shooting 45.6 percent from the floor for the season, which ranks second in the SEC and 19th in the country. Prior to the two-game hot streak, the Commodores were ensnared in a shooting slump that had resulted in some very un-Vanderbilt-like numbers. During back-to-back losses to Tennessee and LSU, the Commodores went a combined 32-for-94 (34 percent) from the floor and were limited to 16 field goals in each game. The cold shooting 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). The Commodores have finished among the top 20 teams in the nation in field goal percentage in 11 of the past 12 seasons under head coach Melanie Balcomb, including ranking among the Top 10 in six of those seasons.
l ANOTHER NUMBERED FOE: Today’s game against No. 18/16 Georgia continues a trend for the Commodores, who will be facing a ranked team for the fourth time in five games since the start of conference play. Vanderbilt opened its SEC slate with a 75-61 loss to No. 11/12 Texas A&M on Jan. 2. Vanderbilt then dropped a 57-49 decision at home to No. 6/6 Tennessee three days later before knocking off No. 15/18 Mississippi State, 78-62, last Sunday.
l SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: The Georgia offense has endured some struggles this season, with the Bulldogs ranking 12th in the SEC in scoring (63.8 points per game) and last in the conference in field-goal percentage (38.3). However, the Bulldogs’ defense has been outstanding, ranking second in the SEC and fourth in the nation by limiting opponents to 50.6 points per game. … Shacobia Barbee, a 5-10 junior guard/forward, leads UGA in scoring at 12.3 points per game. She also ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and is shooting 46 percent from the floor. … Tiaria Griffin, a 5-7 junior guard who is averaging 11.7 points per game, the Bulldogs’ most dangerous outside threat. She is 38-of-98 (38.8 percent) from 3-point range. … The team’s leading rebounder is Krista Donald, a 5-11 senior post player, who is averaging 7.8 rebounds per game.
l SIZING UP THE SERIES: Sunday’s game marks the 60th all-time meeting between the teams, with Georgia owning a 33-26 lead in the series. … The Bulldogs have won three of the last four games against the Commodores, including eliminating them from last year’s SEC Tournament… Vanderbilt is 7-17 against Georgia in Athens. … Vanderbilt head coach Melanie Balcomb is 13-8 against UGA, including 3-4 at Stegeman Coliseum. … The Commodores have gone 9-4 against the Bulldogs since March of 2007. … Vanderbilt and Georgia meet twice last season. The Commodores posted a victory at Memorial Gym in early January, but the Bulldogs knocked off Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament (More on those games below). … The series dates back to the 1978-79 season. Georgia won 19 of the first 22 meetings, but Vanderbilt has gone 23-14 against the Dogs since the start of the 1992-93 season.
l GEORGIA’S SEASON TO DATE: The Bulldogs opened the season with 12 straight wins, including a victory over Michigan State, before closing their non-conference schedule with a 70-51 road loss to Seton Hall. … Georgia lost its SEC opener to Mississippi State, 64-56, on Jan. 5, but then reeled off three straight conference wins over Alabama, Missouri and Auburn. The win over Auburn was on the road. … The Bulldogs were saddled with a 55-52 loss to Ole Miss on Thursday night in Oxford. …
l LAST SEASON: Vanderbilt and Georgia split their two meeting last year. The Commodores posted a 66-58 victory in the SEC opener for both teams on Jan. 2, but the Bulldogs defeated Vanderbilt 53-43 in the SEC Tournament on March 6 in Duluth, Ga. … During the game in Nashville, former Vanderbilt star Jasmine Lister scored 24 points and propelled a second-half comeback for the Commodores. Lister — who finished 8-of-12 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range — scored 10 points in the span of less than five minutes late in the second half while fueling a 17-5 run that allowed Vanderbilt to flip a 47-43 deficit into a 60-52 lead with 3:40 to go. The Commodores trailed by as many as seven points in the second half before surging back to capture the victory in the hotly-contested game, which featured five ties and 10 lead changes. … When the teams met again in March, the No. 8-seeded Commodores lost their SEC Tournament opener to the No. 9-seeded Georgia, 53-43, at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. Vanderbilt went nine minutes without a field goal during one stretch in the first half and was outscored 19-1 in that span. Georgia’s Khaalidah Miller finished with a team-high 12 points. Christina Foggie scored a game-high 19 points and Kylee Smith had 10 for the Commodores. Georgia’s defense limited Vanderbilt to 17 total field goals, and Lady Bulldogs won the rebounding battle, 35-28, including collecting 13 rebounds on the offensive glass.
l MOST RECENT GAME: COMMODORES ROLL PAST UAH: In its most recent game, Vanderbilt downed NCAA Division II member Alabama-Huntsville, 74-51, on Thursday night. Morgan Batey went 7-of-8 from the floor and finished with a team-high 16 points. All 10 of Vanderbilt’s available players saw action, and they each reached the scoring column. Freshman Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau scored 10 points in the win, and Heather Bowe and Marqu’es Webb added nine each. The Commodores shot 60.5 percent from the floor, marking the second straight game in which they have topped the 60-percent mark after doing so only once in the first 15 games. The Commodores made 15-of-22 shots (68 percent) in the first half of Thursday’s game while building a 41-25 lead. Vanderbilt shot 52 percent (11-of-21) in the final 20 minutes while maintaining a comfortable lead. The Commodores never allowed the Chargers to get closer than 17 points after the opening minute of the second half.
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.