Dec. 7, 2016
Teams: Vanderbilt (8-1) vs. ETSU (5-4)
Day, Date: Thursday, Dec. 8
Tip-off time: 6 p.m. (CT)
Site: Brooks Gym (Johnson City, Tenn.)
Radio: WNSR 560 AM / 95.9 FM
TV: None
Online: ESPN3 (Link: HERE)
Game Notes: Vanderbilt Game Notes (ETSU) 
ETSU Game Notes
For the second time this season, the Vanderbilt women are making a road trip that won’t require them to cross the state border. The Commodores, winners of seven straight games, are traveling to Johnson City, Tenn., to face in-state rival ETSU on Thursday night. It will be the fourth game in seven days for the Commodores. Here’s a closer look at the game:
l Update on the Commodores: By rallying for a 74-63 victory over Tulane on Monday night, the Commodores extended their winning streak to seven games and improved to 5-0 at home. … Redshirt junior guard Rebekah Dahlman, who has been hampered with a hamstring injury in recent days, leads the Commodores in scoring at 12.7 points per game. She also leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally in 3-point accuracy at 58.3 percent, and leads the team in assists per game at 4.1. … Marqu’es Webb, coming off a career-high 15-rebound effort against Tulane, is averaging a team-high 10.1 boards per game, which ranks fourth in the SEC. … In addition to Dahlman, the Commodores have two other players averaging double figures in scoring: Rachel Bell at 12.3 ppg, and Christa Reed at 10.6.
l What’s trending: Nine games into the season, the Commodores have established themselves as one of the most accurate and most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the country. They lead the SEC and rank fifth in the nation in 3-point accuracy at 42.9 percent. Vanderbilt also leads the SEC in 3-pointers made per game (8.4), overall 3-pointers made (76) and 3-pointers attempted (177). … The Commodores rank second in the SEC and 22nd in the nation in free throw percentage at 77.2 percent. VU ranks 10th in the country in free throws made (139). … Vanderbilt ranks second in the SEC in assists per game at 16.8. (Note: Conference and national rankings in “What’s trending” are through Wednesday afternoon).
l Whalen wins SEC honors: Vanderbilt’s Erin Whalen was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Tuesday when the conference announced its weekly honors. Whalen, a 6-1 guard/forward from Charlotte, N.C., averaged 17 points per game and shot 59 percent from the floor — making 16-of-27 shots — during Vanderbilt’s three games this week. Whalen scored 10 points and had a team-high four assists against Tulane, scored a season-high 19 points against Air Force on Dec. 2, and had a 12-point, four-rebound performance in VU’s win over SIUE on Dec. 3. For the season, Whalen has seen action in eight games, and is averaging 8.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. She is shooting 55 percent from the floor and 44 percent from 3-point range.
l The lowdown on ETSU: The Buccaneers, members of the Southern Conference, come into Thursday’s game having won three of their past four games, including a 56-55 road win over Campbell on Tuesday night. … The Bucs’ top scorer is Tianna Tarter, a 5-6 junior guard, who is averaging 18.9 ppg. Tarter rarely comes off the floor, averaging 34 minutes per contest, and makes a habit of getting to the foul line, ranking 10th in the country in free throws attempts (61). She is also ETSU’s top rebounder at 5.0 rpg. … The Bucs are averaging 66.3 points per game and allowing 63.1 points per game. … ETSU has played one other SEC team this season, falling to Tennessee, 83-58, at home on Nov. 15.
l Series History: Thursday’s game is the eighth all-time meeting between the teams, with the Commodores owning a 5-2 lead in the series. … Vanderbilt has won five straight against the Bucs, including a 65-39 victory last season in Nashville. (More on that game below). … Vanderbilt has made two previous trips to Johnson City, posting a 66-55 victory over the Bucs on Nov. 21, 2008, and suffering a 79-69 defeat on Jan. 15, 1981.
l Dahlman doing big things: Redshirt junior guard Rebekah Dahlman is doing a little bit of everything for the Commodores. In addition to averaging a team-leading 12.7 ppg, she also leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally in 3-point percentage at 58.3. Dahlman leads the conference in FT shooting at 91.2 percent, and leads the Commodores in assists per game at 4.1.
l December dominance: By winning their first four games this month, the Commodores have extended their tradition of December success. They’ve won 11 straight December games — dating back to a loss to Dayton on Dec. 21, 2014 — and have posted a 24-2 record in December since 2012.
l SEC strong: Vanderbilt is not the only SEC team off to hot start this season. As of Wednesday afternoon, the 14 SEC teams had combined for an 88-23 record. Leading the pack was a threesome of undefeated teams: Arkansas (8-0), Mississippi State (8-0) and Alabama (7-0).
l Milestone for Marqu’es Senior post player Marqu’es Webb notched her 500th career rebound in the first quarter of Vanderbilt’s win against Air Force on Dec. 2. … Webb ranks seventh among active SEC players in career rebounds with 531 (through Tuesday night).
l Last time out: Erupting for 30 points in the final 10 minutes, the Commodores downed Tulane 74-63 on Monday night and extended their winning streak to seven games. Rachel Bell scored 14 points to lead five players in double figures for Vanderbilt (8-1), and Marqu’es Webb pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds. Tulane’s Kolby Morgan poured in 34 points, going 14-of-26 from the floor. But Vanderbilt overcame Morgan’s heroics by generating a dominating second half, during which the Commodores outscored Tulane 48-30. The Commodores trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half and were down 45-44 entering the fourth quarter, but Cierra Walker’s 3-pointer in the opening minute of the fourth quarter gave Vanderbilt the lead for good. Christa Reed finished with 13 points and Walker had 12 points, going 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Kayla Overbeck added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Erin Whalen scored 10 points and had a team-high four assists.
l Most recent meeting vs. ETSU: Using a combination of smothering defense and hot second-half shooting, the Commodores rolled past East Tennessee State, 65-39, at Memorial Gym on Dec. 5, 2015. It was Vanderbilt’s 800th all-time victory in program history. Rachel Bell scored a team-high 16 points and Rebekah Dahlman added 15 for the Commodores, who shot 61.5 percent from the floor in the second half. Shamauria Bridges paced ETSU with 17 points. Vanderbilt had 10 players reach the scoring column and all 12 players on the roster saw action. The Vanderbilt defense limited ETSU to just 34 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers. Vanderbilt closed the second quarter with a 12-0 run to grab en route to the win.
l This and that: Vanderbilt has three players who rank among the SEC’s Top-10 in career 3-pointers among active players: Rebekah Dahlman ranks sixth with 115, Christa Reed ranks ninth with 88, and Rachel Bell is 10th with 83. … The Commodores finished November with a 5-1 record, marking the first time since the 2011 that Vanderbilt emerged from November with less than two losses. … The Commodores made 14 3-pointers against Kennesaw State in the season opener(finishing 14-of-26), which represents the most 3-pointers by an SEC team in a game this season.
l New leader: Stephanie White is in her first season at Vanderbilt and has implemented a new up-tempo style with the Commodores. Whitle, who is just the fifth head coach in the history of the VU program, came to Vanderbilt after spending two seasons as head coach of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. She led the team to the playoffs each season, including guiding the Fever to the 2015 WNBA Finals in her rookie season to become the first rookie coach in league history to take a team to the finals. During her playing career, she was a standout at Purdue, where she earned national player of the year honors after helping lead the Boilermakers to the 1999 NCAA championship. Her coach that season was Carolyn Peck, who now serves on White’s staff at Vanderbilt.
l Mad success at Memorial Gym: The Commodores have won 15 straight non-conference games on their home floor, dating back to a loss to Dayton on Dec. 21, 2014. … Vanderbilt has gone 45-2 against non-conference foes on its home floor since the start of the 2010-11 season.
l Dancy with the stars: Junior guard Myka Dancy played a significant role in Vanderbilt’s win over SIUE on Dec. 3. Dancy played a career-high 13 minutes in the victory and scored a career-high five points. She was in the starting lineup to open the second half, and played the entire third quarter. Dancy finished 2-of-5 from the floor and also added a free throw.
l Signing Day: Comprising the inaugural signing class of Vanderbilt first-year head coach Stephanie White, a pair of highly-rated recruits — Autumn Newby and Chelsie Hall — signed National Letters of Intent with the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team on Nov. 8. Newby is a 6-2 forward from Archer High in Lawrenceville, Ga., who averaged 12.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per game last season. Hall is a 5-7 point guard from Seffner Christian Academy in Tampa, Fla., who averaged 21.2 points per game last year. Together, the two players form a signing class that was ranked No. 23 in the nation by BlueStar Report on Wednesday. (Newby was ranked by BlueStar as the No. 20 overall prospect and Hall was ranked No. 28).
l Looking ahead: After Thursday’s game, the Commodores will take a break for exams. They don’t play again until Dec. 18, whey they host Tennessee Tech.