Jan. 9, 2016
Teams: Vanderbilt (11-4, 0-2) vs. Alabama (12-3, 1-1)
Day, Date: Sunday, Jan. 10
Tip-off time: 2 p.m.
Site: Foster Auditorium (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Radio: 560 AM / 95.9 FM
Viewing: SEC Network Plus (online)
Last five games: Vanderbilt 3-2; Alabama 3-2.
Looking to get back on track after opening SEC play with a pair of tough losses, the Vanderbilt women face Alabama on Sunday at Foster Auditorium. The Commodores have traditionally played well in Tuscaloosa, winning eight of the past nine games against Alabama on the Tide’s home floor (dating back to the 1999-2000). But Sunday’s contest is certain to be a challenge for the Commodores, who will be facing an Alabama team that is 10-0 at home this season. Here’s a closer look at the game:
l The skinny on Vanderbilt: After closing out their non-conference schedule with 10 straight wins, the Commodores have endured back-to-back defeats to open SEC play, with both games being decided in the final minutes. On Thursday night, Vanderbilt flirted with an upset of No. 2-ranked South Carolina, but the Commodores went cold down the stretch and were saddled with a 71-61 loss in a contest that featured 18 lead changes. Four days earlier, in their conference opener against Ole Miss, the Commodores saw a 12-point lead slip away in the fourth quarter and suffered a 55-52 setback when Ole Miss junior Erika Sisk converted a three-point play with 1.5 seconds remaining.
l What’s trending: Vanderbilt continues to be among the nation’s best in several significant categories, including ranking eighth in the country — and first in the SEC — in field goal percentage (48.3). VU’s defense ranks eighth in the nation, and No. 2 in the SEC, in points allowed per game at 51.9. The Commodores rank 20th nationally in rebound margin (9.9) and and 24th in 3-point accuracy (37.1).
l Leading the way: A trio of sophomores is leading Vanderbilt in scoring, with Christa Reed averaging a team-high 10.9 points per game and Rachel Bell averaging 10.1. Redshirt sophomore Rebekah Dahlman, who scored a team-high 14 points in the loss to South Carolina, is averaging 9.6 points per game. … Senior Rayte’a Long is enjoying the best season of her career for the Commodores. She is shooting a staggering 72.2 percent from the floor (making 26-of-36 attempts) and is averaging 4.5 rebounds per game, which ranks second on the team behind Marqu’es Webb (4.6 rpg). Long has gone 10-of-11 from the floor (90.9 percent) over the past four games. … Minta Spears, in her first season at Vanderbilt, is averaging a team-best 4.7 assists per game. The transfer from Texas Tech is averaging 32.8 minutes per game, easily the most on the team.
l Scouting Alabama: The Tide, looking to regroup from Thursday’s 73-48 road loss to Kentucky, has compiled some impressive defensive numbers through the first two months of the season. Alabama is limiting its opponents to 33.8 percent shooting from the floor, which ranks 16th in the nation and fourth in the SEC. Alabama also ranks seventh in the country and leads the conference in blocked shots, averaging 6.0 per game. The Tide is shooting 72.7 percent from the foul line, which ranks second in the SEC. That’s an important number for a team that averages 23.7 free throw attempts per game, which ranks 20th in the nation. … Alabama has two players averaging double figures in scoring: Hannah Cook is averaging a team-high 13.0 points per game and Meoshonti Knight is scoring 10.1 ppg. … Nikki Hegstetter is averaging a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game.
l Sizing up the Series Sunday’s game marks the 44th all-time meeting between the teams, with Vanderbilt owning a 31-12 lead in the series. … The Commodores are 12-7 all-time against the Tide in Tuscaloosa. … Head coach Melanie Balcomb owns a 15-2 mark against Alabama since arriving at Vanderbilt, including a 6-1 record in Tuscaloosa. … Vanderbilt defeated Alabama twice last season, winning 55-52 in Tuscaloosa in late January and earning a 66-56 win in the first round of the SEC tournament (More on those games below). … The Commodores have gone 19-2 against Alabama since the start of the 1999-2000 season. … The Tide posted a 66-62 victory in Nashville during the 2014-15 season, marking Alabama’s first-ever win at Memorial Gym after 17 straight losses. … The series dates back to the 1977-78 season, VU’s inaugural year of basketball.
l VU’s most recent game: South Carolina’s Tiffany Mitchell, the two-time SEC player of the year, scored a season-high 22 points, helping the second-ranked Gamecocks preserve their perfect record by holding off Vanderbilt 71-61 on Thursday night at Memorial Gym. The Commodores (11-4, 0-2) went toe-to-toe with the Gamecocks (14-0, 2-0) in a contest that featured 18 lead changes and eight ties. But down the stretch, Mitchell was the difference-maker. She finished with three 3-pointers, five assists and two steals. Rebekah Dahlman led Vanderbilt with 14 points. Marqu’es Webb converted a three-point play with 2:22 left to pull Vanderbilt to 64-61, but Sessions hit a 3 for South Carolina, helping fuel a 14-5 game-ending run that enabled South Carolina to earn the win.
l Looking back to last season’s VU-Alabama matchups: Vanderbilt defeated Alabama twice during the 2014-15 campaign. Here’s a quick recap of the two games:
Vanderbilt 66, Alabama 56 (SEC Tournament): With a trio of underclassmen leading the way, No. 11-seeded Vanderbilt pulled away down the stretch to defeat No. 14-seeded Alabama 66-56 at Verizon Arena in the opening round of the SEC Tournament. Redshirt freshman Rebekah Dahlman and true freshman Paris Kea scored 16 points apiece and sophomore Marqu’es Webb added 14 points and seven rebounds to help Vanderbilt (15-15) snap a three-game losing streak. Ashley Williams scored a game-high 21 for the Tide (13-19), which ended the season on a six-game skid. Vanderbilt was clinging to a shaky four-point lead with 5:08 to play, but used a series of clutch plays and some solid work at the foul line — making 4-of-5 attempts in the final 1:37 — to secure the victory.
Vanderbilt 55, Alabama 52 (Tuscaloosa, Ala., Jan. 25, 2015): Vanderbilt freshman Paris Kea hit two free throws with 10 seconds left to give the Commodores a thee-point lead, and Alabama missed a potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer as VU escaped with its first SEC road win of the season. Morgan Batey scored a team-high 14 points for the Commodores and Kea added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Vanderbilt dominated early, jumping out to a 15-1 lead while Alabama was trapped in a field-goal drought that lasted the first 10:07 of the game. Alabama roared back to take the lead near the midway mark of the second half, but the Commodores used a 6-0 run to move back in front and held on from there.