Feb. 20, 2016
Teams: Vanderbilt (15-11, 4-9) vs. No. 12/12 Texas A&M (19-7, 9-4)
Day, Date: Sunday, Feb. 21
Tip-off time: 4 p.m.
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville, Tenn.)
Radio: 560 AM / 95.9 FM
TV: SEC Network
Vanderbilt’s current streak: Lost six straight
Vanderbilt’s last 10 games: 3-7
Texas A&M’s current streak: Won four straight
Texas A&M’s last 10 games: 7-3
Game Notes: Vanderbilt Game Notes (2/21) 
With three games remaining in the regular season, it’s officially crunch time for the Commodores in their pursuit of a postseason berth. Looking to end a six-game skid, Vanderbilt (15-11, 4-9) hosts No. 12/12 Texas A&M — and SEC scoring leader Courtney Walker — on Sunday at Memorial Gym. The game, which is Vanderbilt’s fourth straight match-up against a ranked opponent, will have a high level of significance for both teams. With the SEC Tournament less than two weeks away, Texas A&M — winners of four straight games — is vying for one of the conference’s top four seeds, which would give the Aggies (19-7, 9-4) a two-day bye in the tournament. The Commodores, meanwhile, are looking to ignite a late-season push to enhance their postseason resumè and improve their seed for the SEC Tournament. Vanderbilt is currently in 11th place in the SEC and needs to move up one spot in order to avoid the tournament’s play-in round next Wednesday. (The play-in round features the No. 11, 12, 13 and 14 seeds). Here’s a closer look at Sunday’s contest:
l Embracing diversity: Sunday’s game will be part of a special day for the Vanderbilt WBB program. The Commodores will host a new event — “Diversity Vanderbilt” — which will recognize the diversity of the student body and will feature a student organization fair prior to tipoff. For full details click HERE.
l Update on the Commodores: Vanderbilt has gone winless during the first 2½ weeks of February, including suffering a 79-67 setback to No. 25-ranked Florida, 79-67, on Thursday night. … The Commodores’ six-game losing streak has dropped them into 11th place in the SEC. But they can still make a significant move in the standings if they finish strong and get several dominoes to fall their way. Vanderbilt is currently two games behind 10th-place Arkansas and three games behind the four teams who are tied for sixth. … After facing only three ranked teams from Nov. 15 though Feb. 10, the Commodores are playing five straight games against ranked opponents. The string started with games against No. 25 Tennessee, No. 18 Kentucky and No. 25 Florida, and concludes with games against No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 14 Mississippi State. … With three games remaining in the regular-season schedule, the Commodores have matched their win total from last season, when they finished 15-16 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999. Vanderbilt is also one SEC victory away from matching last season’s conference win total, when the Commodores finished 5-11.
l Commodores battling cold starts: Vanderbilt has been victimized by slow starts in recent days, including falling behind by 11 points before the midway mark of the first quarter in Thursday’s game against Florida. Here’s a quick look at the sizable deficits the Commodores have faced in six of their past seven games: They trailed 15-4 at the 5:19 mark of first quarter against Florida on Feb. 18; trailed 10-2 with 4:10 left in first quarter against Kentucky on Feb. 14; trailed 17-6 with 1:25 left in first quarter against Tennessee on Feb. 11; trailed 18-5 with 1:56 left in first quarter against Arkansas on Feb. 8; trailed 16-7 at end of first quarter against Georgia on Jan. 31; and trailed 16-7 with 4:06 left in first quarter against Kentucky on Jan. 28. Vanderbilt has battled back into contention in virtually all of the games, including rally for a win over Kentucky in Lexington and erasing a 22-point deficit before losing at the buzzer against Arkansas.
l What’s trending for VU: Despite the recent rough patch, the Commodores continue to rank among the nation’s Top-30 in three significant categories. They are No. 13 in the country in field-goal percentage (46.1 percent), 19th in 3-point accuracy (36.5 percent) and 28th in defense (55.4 points per game). Vanderbilt is No. 1 in the SEC in field-goal percentage, No. 2 in 3-point percentage, and is No. 3 in defense. … Vanderbilt has held its opponents to less than 50 percent shooting from the floor in 24 of its 26 games this season. (The two exceptions are South Carolina and Florida, both of whom shot exactly 50 percent from the floor against VU). … The Commodores are limiting opponents to 27.7 rebounds per game, which is easily the best mark in the conference.
l Star Power: Sophomore sharpshooter Christa Reed is averaging a team-high 10.7 points per game and is shooting 43.5 percent from 3-point range. Reed has been leading the SEC in 3-point accuracy for much of the season but doesn’t currently qualify to be listed among the conference leaders. … Point guard Minta Spears is seventh in the SEC in assists (4.2 apg) and seventh in the SEC in minutes played (32.7 mpg). … Junior Marque’s Webb is VU’s top rebounder at 5.4 per game. She is averaging 6.7 rebounds in SEC games. … Spears is No. 2 in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio in conference games at 1.6.
l Scouting Texas A&M: Led by the SEC’s top scorer, Courtney Williams (18.3 ppg), the Aggies come into Sunday’s game on a four-game winning streak that has included victories over Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and LSU. … The Aggies are ranked 55th in the nation in scoring (72.1 points per game) and 107th in defense (allowing 60.7 ppg). … Walker is putting together a Player-of-the-Year type season. In addition to leading the SEC in scoring, she also ranks third in field-goal percentage (49.7), first in free throw percentage (85.6), second in minutes played (35.3 mpg), 12th in steals (1.8 spg) and 15th in assists (2.7 apg). Walker has scored in double figures in 18 straight game and 25 of 26 games this season. She has 99 career double-digit games, which ranks second at Texas A&M history. Walker, who is averaging 20.1 points per game in conference games, is tied for the team lead in rebounding, along with Annel Howard, at 5.7 rpg. … A&M’s Courtney Williams is averaging 12.5 points per game, and is the Aggies’ second double-digit scorer.
l Series History: Sunday’s game is the seventh all-time meeting between the teams, with Vanderbilt owning a 4-2 lead in the series. … Texas A&M won the most recent matchup, beating the Commodores 75-61 last season in College Station in the SEC opener for both teams. … Vanderbilt is 3-0 against the Aggies at Memorial Gym, including a 71-69 win during the 2013-14 season in Texas A&M’s most recent visit to Nashville. … Vanderbilt head coach Melanie Balcomb is 2-2 against Texas A&M. … The Commodores and Aggies have split their four games since Texas A&M joined the SEC. Prior to that, Vanderbilt swept a home-and-home series against the Aggies by winning in Nashville during the 1995-96 season and winning in College Station during the 1997-98 campaign.
l Most recent Vanderbilt-Texas A&M game: Texas A&M downed the Commodores, 75-61, in College Station last season in the SEC opener for both teams last season on Jan. 2. Courtney Williams had 22 points and Courtney Walker added 17 for the No. 5 Aggies. Heather Bowe had 16 points to lead Vanderbilt. She made her first seven shots of the game and finished 8-of-9. The game was tied early in the second half before the Aggies went on a 11-2 run, which included two three-point plays and a 3-pointer by Williams, to take a 49-40 lead. A 3-pointer by Rebekah Dahlman got the Commodores within five with about eight minutes left in the game but the Aggies used a 10-2 run to push the lead to 68-55, and Vanderbilt didn’t threaten again. The Aggies forced 21 turnovers and outscored the Commodores 32-20 in the paint. Vanderbilt was without Rachel Bell, who missed the game with flu-like symptoms.
l VU’s most recent game: Facing a ranked opponent for the third consecutive game, the Commodores fell to No. 22 Florida, 79-67, on Thursday night in Gainesville. It was the sixth consecutive loss for Vanderbilt (15-11, 4-9), which remained winless in February. Miaya Seawright, one of two walk-ons on the Vanderbilt roster, was in the starting lineup for the first time this season. Seawright finished with two points, two rebounds and two assists in 10 minutes of playing time. Florida, the SEC’s top-scoring team, showed its explosiveness in the victory. All five starters for the Gators (20-6, 8-5) finished in double figures, led by Eleanna Christinaki with 22 points. Ronni Williams added a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. For the Commodores, Marques Webb had 17 points, finishing 7-of-9 from the floor, and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Rachel Bell had 16 points for the Commodores, who trailed by two points at the half and stayed within striking distance throughout the second half but could never take the lead. Vanderbilt got as close as four points on two occasions in the final 10 minutes, the second time coming on a basket by Morgan Batey that trimmed the deficit to 68-64. But Florida closed the game on a 11-3 run to hold off the Commodores.