Jan. 24, 2016
Teams: Vanderbilt (13-5, 2-3) vs. Alabama (13-6, 2-4)
Day, Date: Monday, Jan. 25
Tip-off time: 6 p.m.
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville, Tenn.)
Radio: 560 AM / 95.9 FM (Charlie Mattos on play-by-play)
TV: SEC Network
Game Notes: Vanderbilt Game Notes 
l Alabama Game Notes
Tickets: Monday’s game is the annual Jam the Gym promotion, and tickets are available for $1. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the McGugin Center ticket office or at the Memorial Gym ticket windows on game day. (Purchasing online or over the phone will add an additional fee).
Two weeks ago, the Vanderbilt women saddled Alabama with its first home loss of the season. Now, the Commodores are looking to prevent the Tide from earning its first road win. The teams meet at Memorial Gym on Monday night for the annual Jam the Gym game. (Details below). The contest comes just 15 days after the Commodores (13-5, 2-3) defeated Alabama 54-48 in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 10. Alabama (13-6, 2-4) entered that game with a 10-0 record at home, and the loss to the Commodores remains the Tide’s only home loss of the season. But Alabama is 0-5 on the road, including 0-3 since the start of conference play. The Commodores own a 32-12 lead in the series against Alabama, and have won 19 of the past 21 meetings. Vanderbilt is 17-1 all-time against Alabama at Memorial Gym, with the lone loss coming during the 2013-14 season. Here’s a closer look at Monday’s game:
l Update on the Commodores: Vanderbilt enters the game against Alabama with hopes of bouncing back from Thursday’s 58-49 loss to No. 18/22 Tennessee in Knoxville, where the Commodores saw a fourth-quarter comeback bid come up short. … The defeat ended a two-game SEC winning streak for the Commodores, who have posted a 12-3 record since Nov. 22.. … The Commodores are just two wins away from matching their win total from last year, when they finished 15-16 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first since 1999.
l Jamming the Gym & Backing Pat: Monday’s contest has been designated as the annual Jam the Gym game. Fans can purchase $1 tickets by visiting the ticket office in the McGugin Center or at the ticket windows on the day of the game. (Purchasing online or over the phone would add an additional fee). Hot dogs will be on sale for $1, and the game will feature a special halftime performance by The Beale Street Flippers. For more, click HERE. The game will also be Vanderbilt’s “We Back Pat” game as the Commodores take part in the SEC’s initiative focused on building support for The Pat Summitt Foundation and the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
l What’s trending: Vanderbilt’s lock-down defense, which is beginning to gain more and more attention, ranks No. 7 in the nation and first in the SEC in points allowed per game at 51.4. The Commodores have limited opponents to 59 points or less in 14 of 18 games this season, and have surrendered 49 points or less in seven games. … Vanderbilt ranks No. 10 in the country and No. 1 in the SEC in field-goal percentage (47.0 percent), which is the norm for the Commodores. They have ranked among the nation’s Top-20 in field-goal percentage in 12 of the past 13 seasons since Balcomb’s arrival. … Vanderbilt ranks 18th in the nation and second in the SEC in 3-point percentage at 37.1. … Vanderbilt is limiting its opponents to 26.2 rebounds per game, easily the best mark in the SEC. (Missouri is second at 32.7).
l Star Power: Sophomore Christa Reed is Vanderbilt’s top scorer at 11.1 points per game, and is leading the SEC in 3-point accuracy at 44.0 percent. Reed also ranks sixth in the conference in 3-pointers per game at 2.1. … Point guard Minta Spears ranks fifth in the SEC in assists (4.6 apg) and fourth in the SEC in minutes played (33.4 mpg). … Junior Marque’s Webb is VU’s top rebounder at 5.0 per game, and collected a career-high 13 boards on Thursday against Tennessee … Senior Rayte’a Long is having the best season of her career, shooting 67.5 percent from the floor and ranking second on the team in rebounding at 4.0.
l Scouting the Tide: Alabama ranks eighth in the SEC in scoring (71.1 points per game) and seventh in defense (allowing 57.7 ppg). … The Tide is limiting its opponents to 35.1 percent shooting from the floor, which ranks 28th in the nation and fourth in the conference. … Alabama is ranked 23rd in the nation and second in the SEC in blocked shots per game (5.3). … The Tide’s top scorer is Hannah Cook, who is averaging 13.2 points per game and is shooting 39.7 percent from 3-point range (48-of-121). Cook is averaging 6.0 rebounds per game, which ranks second on the team behind Nikki Hegstetter (7.3). … Meoshonti Knight is also averaging in double figures at 10.1 ppg.
l Sizing up the Series Thursday’s game marks the 45th all-time meeting between the teams. Vanderbilt owns a 32-12 lead in the series, including winning the past three match-ups. … The most recent game between the Commodores and Tide came two weeks ago, when VU posted a 54-48 win in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 10 (More on that game below). … Vanderbilt has dominated the series in recent years, winning 15 of the past 16 games and 19 of the past 21. … The Commodores are 17-1 all-time against the Tide at Memorial Gym. … Alabama posted its first-ever win on Vanderbilt’s home floor during the Tide’s most recent trip to Nashville during the 2013-14 season. … Head coach Melanie Balcomb owns a 17-2 mark against Alabama since arriving at Vanderbilt, including a 7-1 record at Memorial Gym. … 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. … The series dates back to the 1977-78 season, VU’s inaugural year of women’s basketball.
l The deep ball: After a one-year hiatus, Vanderbilt’s perimeter attack is back in business this season. Fueled by the sharp-shooting of sophomore Christa Reed, who is leading the SEC in 3-point accuracy at 44.0 percent, the Commodores have made five or more 3-pointers in 15 of their 18 games. For the season, the Commodores are shooting 36.7 percent from 3-point range, which ranks second in the SEC and 18th in the nation. They are averaging 15.8 attempts per game from behind the arc — a sizable increase from last season, when they averaged only 10.6 attempts per game. Vanderbilt attempted a total of just 330 shots from long range in 2014-15, compared to 415 attempts the previous season and 472 in 2012-13.
l Most recent game against Alabama: Sophomore guard Christa Reed scored 15 of her game-high 17 points in the second half to help Vanderbilt post a 54-48 road win over Alabama on Jan. 10. The Commodores trailed 36-31 at the end of the third quarter but outscored the Tide 23-12 in the final 10 minutes to notch their seventh consecutive win in Tuscaloosa. Minta Spears finished with eight points, seven rebounds and four assists for Vanderbilt. Breanna Hayden paced Alabama with 10 points. Trailing by five points, Vanderbilt opened the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run to move in front, 40-36, with 6:23 to play. Rachel Bell had a pair of baskets during the surge, and Jasmine Jenkins caped it with a 3-pointer. Vanderbilt maintained the lead the rest of the way by coming up with a series of clutch shots, including pivotal 3-pointers by Reed and Spears with just under four minutes to go. Morgan Batey also contributed a big basket, knocking down a jumper from just beyond the foul line with 2:36 to play to give Vanderbilt a 48-44 lead. VU then secured the win by hitting 6-of-8 free throws in the final 1:04.
l VU’s most recent game: Vanderbilt’s defense delivered another gritty performance last Thursday night, but the Commodores struggled on offense for much of the night during a 58-49 loss to No. 18/22 Tennessee. The loss ended VU’s two-game SEC winning streak and dropped the Commodores’ all-time record in Knoxville to 0-31. Rebekah Dahlman finished with a game-high 17 points for Vanderbilt (13-5, 2-3), and Marqu’es Webb pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds. Te’a Cooper led Tennessee with 13 points, including scoring nine straight points for the Lady Vols (12-6, 3-2) in the third quarter. After staging a big fourth-quarter comeback, Vanderbilt trailed by three points in the final minute. But the Commodores came up empty on back-to-back possessions — turning the ball over each time — and the Lady Vols made six straight free throws in the final 15 seconds to escape with the win.