Jan. 4, 2017
Teams: Vanderbilt (10-4, 0-1) vs. Tennessee (9-4, 1-0)
Day, Date: Thursday, Jan. 5
Tip-off time: 8 p.m. (CT)
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville, Tenn.)
Radio: WNSR 560 AM / 95.9 FM
TV: SEC Network
Game Notes: Vanderbilt Game Notes (UT) 
l Tennessee Game Notes
NOTE: Tonight’s game marks the Lady Vols’ first visit to Memorial Gym since the passing of former coach Pat Summitt. The Commodores mourned the passing of the legendary coach in June. Story: HERE.
The Vanderbilt women will play their first home game in more than two weeks on Thursday night — and it will be a big one for the Commodores. Looking to end a three-game losing streak, Vanderbilt (10-4, 0-1) will host rival Tennessee (9-4, 1-0) in an SEC match-up at Memorial Gym. The Lady Vols roll into Nashville on a five-game winning streak that has featured impressive wins over Stanford and Kentucky. Here’s a closer look at Monday’s game.
l Update on the Commodores: Vanderbilt suffered a tough loss in its SEC opener, as the Commodores saw a 13-point, second-half lead slip away in a 77-72 loss to Texas A&M on Monday. It was the first time this season that the Commodores have lost a game in which they scored 70 points or more. (VU had been 10-0 in those games before the TAMU game). … The Commodores’ current three-game losing streak came on the heels of a nine-game winning streak. … Vanderbilt has two players averaging in double figures, with Rachel Bell scoring a team-high 12.4 points per game and Christa Reed averaging 11.3. … Marqu’es Webb is Vanderbilt’s top rebounder, and ranks among the SEC’s best, with 9.0 boards per game. … The Commodores are 6-1 at home this season and are averaging 77.1 points per game in those seven games.
l Young guns: Vanderbilt’s freshmen continue to shine for the Commodores, with the five-member class combining for 35 points, 16.4 rebounds and nine assists per game. Kayla Overbeck has reached double figures in six games, and has also had a pair of double-digit rebounding efforts (13 against ETSU and 13 against Louisville). Kaleigh Clemons-Green has done her part in the past two games, recording a career-high 13 points, five rebounds and three assists in Monday’s loss to Texas A&M after having six points, six rebounds and six assists against Memphis.
l Among the best: Through the first 14 games of the season, the Commodores have proven themselves to be one of the country’s best-shooting teams. They lead the SEC — and rank 11th in the nation — in 3-point accuracy at 39.8 percent. Vanderbilt is also second in the SEC and 24th in the nation in free throw percentage at 76.4. … The Commodores are ninth in the country in free throws made (227) and 22nd in the country in defensive rebounds per game (30). … Vanderbilt leads the SEC in 3-pointers made per game (7.3) and total 3-pointers made (102).
l Impactful Improvements: The Commodores are on the upswing in numerous categories under the direction of first-year head coach Stephanie White. Through the first 14 games of the season, Vanderbilt is averaging 74.2 points per game — compared to 62.5 ppg last season. The Commodores are also making an SEC-best 7.3 three-pointers per game, compared to just 5.4 last season. Vanderbilt is also converting 16.2 free throws per game this season after making only 11.4 last season.
l Scouting Tennessee: The Lady Vols (9-4, 1-0), who opened SEC play with a victory over No. 17 Kentucky on Sunday, are doing some strong work on the glass, ranking 11th in the country in rebounds per game at 45.7. … Tennessee has three players averaging double-figures in scoring: Mercedes Russell at 16.8 ppg, Diamond DeShields at 15.8 and Jaime Nared at 15.4. … Jordan Reynolds ranks third in the SEC in assists per game (4.9) and Nared leads the conference in free throw percentage (90.0). … UT has scored 80 or more points in seven games this season.
l Series History: Thursday’s game will be the 76th all-time meeting between the teams, with Tennessee owning a 66-9 lead in the series. … The Lady Vols have won the past five match-ups between the rivals, including sweeping the Commodores last season by posting a 69-51 win in Nashville and a 58-49 victory in Knoxville. … Vanderbilt owns a 7-25 record against UT at Memorial Gym, with the Commodores’ most recent win coming Jan. 12, 2014, when VU posted a 74-63 victory. … The Lady Vols have won 31 of the past 34 games in the series.
l Bouncing back: The Commodores enter Thursday’s game with hopes of ending a three-game skid and regaining the momentum and the firepower that they had during their nine-game winning streak, which stretched from Nov. 16 to Dec. 18. Here’s a look at a few of the numbers that have dipped during the past three games. * VU averaged 77.2 points per game during the nine-game winning streak, compared to 65.7 in the past three games. * The Commodores shot 45.7 percent from the floor during the winning streak, compared to 37.7 in the past three games. * Vanderbilt shot 41.2 percent from 3-point range during the winning streak, compared to 32.4 in the past three games.
l In elite company: The Commodores have a host of players who rank among the best in the SEC and in the nation in several categories: Redshirt junior guard Rebekah Dahlman is tied for the SEC lead and ranks 19th in the country in free throw percentage at 90.0 percent. … Senior post player Marqu’es Webb ranks sixth in the conference in both rebounds per game at 9.0 and total rebounds (117). … Freshman Cierra Walker ranks 13th in the conference in assists at 3.5 per game. … Walker and Dahlman rank eighth and ninth, respectively, in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.3 and 2.1.
l Ringing the Bell: Vanderbilt guard Rachel Bell is thriving in the up-tempo system that has been implemented this season by first-year head coach Stephanie White this season. Bell, a junior, has reached double figures in scoring in 10 of the Vanderbilt’s first 14 games. She scored 10 or more points in seven straight games from Nov. 20 through Dec. 8, and averaged15.3 points per game during that stretch. Bell leads the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game.
l Carter coming on strong: Vanderbilt freshman LeaLea Carter has scored a total of 75 points this season — and 43 of those have come in the past four games. She has averaged 10.7 points and five rebounds per game during that four-game stretch after averaging only 3.6 points and 1.1 rebounds per game in her first nine contests of the season. Her surge started with the Tennessee Tech game, when she had 18 points, seven rebounds and went 8-of-12 from the floor.
l Stronger as they go: Through the first two months of the season, the Commodores have shown that they get stronger and sharper as the game progresses. The fourth quarter, in fact, is statistically Vanderbilt’s best quarter in terms of scoring (19.9), field-goal percentage (44.1) and rebounding margin (+1.5). Most impressive, the ‘Dores are shooting 48.2 percent from 3-point range in the fourth quarter this season.
l Super substitutions: The Commodores are getting plenty of production off the bench this season. In Monday’s game, Vanderbilt’s reserves outscored TAMU’s bench, 26-2. It marked the 11th time in the first 14 games that Vanderbilt has won the battle of the benches. … During a three-game stretch from Dec. 5-18, the Vanderbilt reserves outscored the opponents’ bench by a combined total of 103-43 (including 30-4 against ETSU, 23-4 against Tulane and 50-35 against Tennessee Tech). The trend has been especially prominent in the past two games, with VU compiling a 53-12 advantage in bench points (against Memphis and TAMU).
l On the radar: The Commodores were among the teams receiving votes in the Associated Press Top-25 poll for four straight weeks prior to the Jan. 2 poll. It was the first time since the preseason poll of the 2015-16 season that Vanderbilt had been in the “receiving votes” category. Vanderbilt was last ranked in the AP poll in Week 15 of the 2013-14 season, when the Commodores were No. 16.
l Fresh and Re-Fresh: Vanderbilt captured SEC Freshman of the Week honors twice in December, with Erin Whalen and Kayla Overbeck each winning the honor. Overbeck was given the award on Dec. 13 after scoring 18 points and pulling down 13 rebounds — establishing new career highs in both categories — during Vanderbilt’s 80-72 road win over ETSU. Whalen was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Dec. 6 after averaging 17 points per game and shooting 59 percent from the floor — making 16-of-27 shots — during Vanderbilt’s wins over Air Force, SIUE and Tulane.
l Last time out: Texas A&M used a balanced scoring attack and a big fourth-quarter surge to down Vanderbilt, 77-72, on Monday night. Five players finished in double figures for the Aggies (11-3, 1-0), led by Anriel Howard and Jasmine Lumpkin with 17 points each. Texas A&M outscored Vanderbilt 27-15 in the final 10 minutes to erase the Commodores’ seven-point lead. Freshman Kayla Overbeck had 13 points and seven rebounds for Vanderbilt and fellow freshman Kaleigh Clemons-Green added a career-high 13 points. Christa Reed and Rachel Bell had 10 each for the Commodores. The Commodores led by as much as 13 points early in the third quarter, but Texas A&M chipped away for the remainder of the period and then put together a surge in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter to move in front.
l Looking ahead: After Thursday’s game, the Commodores travel to Athens, Ga., to face the Bulldogs on Sunday.