Jan. 7, 2017
Teams: Vanderbilt (10-5, 0-2) vs. Georgia (9-6, 1-1)
Day, Date: Sunday, Jan. 8
Tip-off time: 11 a.m. (CT)
Site: Athens, Ga.
Radio: WNSR 560 AM / 95.9 FM
TV: SEC Network
Vanderbilt Game Notes: Game Notes (UGA) 
Georgia Game Notres: Georgia Game Notes
Continuing a busy stretch that resembles a WNBA schedule, the Vanderbilt women will play their third game in seven days on Sunday when they travel to Athens, Ga., to face the Lady Bulldogs. The Commodores (10-5, 0-2) enter the game with hopes of snapping a four-game losing streak, which has included two straight defeats to open SEC play — a 70-57 loss to Tennessee and a 77-72 loss to Texas A&M. Georgia (9-6, 1-1), meanwhile, is coming off a victory over Texas A&M on Thursday night. Here’s a closer look at Sunday’s game:
l Update on the Commodores: Vanderbilt enters Sunday’s game looking to snap out of its first offensive slump of the season. The Commodores have averaged only 63.5 points per game during their four-game losing streak, and have shot just 37 percent from the floor — including 32.8 percent from 3-point range — during that stretch. … The Commodores’ four-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 12.1 points per game and Christa Reed averaging 10.6. … Marqu’es Webb is Vanderbilt’s top rebounder, and ranks among the SEC’s best, with 9.1 boards per game. … The Commodores are 3-3 in road games this season, but have dropped their past two road contests (at Memphis and at Texas A&M).
l One cold quarter: Vanderbilt has endured one tough quarter in each of the past games — the first quarter of Thursday’s 70-57 loss to Tennessee and the fourth quarter of Monday’s 77-72 loss to Texas A&M. The Commodores were outscored 20-7 in the opening 10 minutes against Tennessee and were outscored 27-15 in the final 10 minutes of the loss to Texas A&M. Vanderbilt combined to make 9-of-32 shots — 28 percent — in those two periods (going 3-of-14 in the first quarter of the UT game after going 6-of-18 in the fourth quarter against TAMU).
l Young guns: Vanderbilt’s freshmen continue to shine for the Commodores, with the five-member class combining for 35.2 points, 16.6 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game. The five players have accounted for 48.2 percent of Vanderbilt’s scoring this season (accounting for 529 of the team’s 1,096 points) and an impressive 51.4 percent of the Commodores’ 3-pointers (making 55 of Vanderbilt’s 107 three’s).
l Among the best: Through the first 15 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 12th in the nation — in 3-point accuracy at 39.8 percent. Vanderbilt is also second in the SEC and 35th in the nation in free throw percentage at 75.5. … The Commodores are 10th in the country in free throws made (241) and 25th in the country in defensive rebounds per game (30). … Vanderbilt leads the SEC in 3-pointers made per game (7.1) and total 3-pointers made (107).
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 15 games of the season, Vanderbilt is averaging 73.1 points per game — compared to 62.5 ppg last season. The Commodores are also making an SEC-best 7.1 three-pointers per game, compared to just 5.4 last season. Vanderbilt is also converting 16.1 free throws per game this season after making only 11.4 last season.
l Scouting Georgia: The Lady Bulldogs, who earned an attention-grabbing victory over Texas A&M on Thursday, have six players on the roster who are 6-2 or taller. (Vanderbilt, by comparison, doesn’t have any players taller than 6-1). Not surprisingly, Georgia is among the SEC leaders in blocked shots, ranking third in conference at 1.9 blocks per game. … The Lady Bulldogs have three potential game-changing players: Caliya Robinson (averaging 15.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game), Pachis Roberts (12.9 ppg and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game) and Mackenzie Ingram (11.9 ppg and 6.1 rpg). … Those three players have combined for 61 percent of UGA’s scoring this season.
l Series History: Sunday’s game will be the 63rd all-time meeting between the teams, with Georgia owning a 35-27 lead in the series. … Vanderbilt won the most recent match-up between the teams, posting a 54-49 overtime victory in the second round of last season’s SEC Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. The teams also met during the regular season last year, with Georgia defeating Vanderbilt 64-58 in Nashville. … Georgia has won five of the last seven games in the series. … Vanderbilt has a 7-18 all-time record at Stegeman Coliseum, and the Commodores have dropped their past three games in Athens. Vanderbilt’s most recent win at Stegeman came on Feb. 10, 2011, when VU posted a 69-59 victory.
l Bouncing back: The Commodores enter Sunday’s game with hopes of ending a four-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 four games. * VU averaged 77.2 points per game during the nine-game winning streak, compared to 63.5 in the past four games. * The Commodores shot 45.7 percent from the floor during the winning streak, compared to 37.0 in the past four games. * Vanderbilt shot 41.2 percent from 3-point range during the winning streak, compared to 32.8 in the past four 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 18th 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 9.1 and total rebounds (128). … Freshman Cierra Walker ranks 14th in the conference in assists at 3.3 per game. … Walker ranks seventh in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.23.
l Ringing the Bell: Vanderbilt guard Rachel Bell is thriving in the up-tempo system that has been implemented 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 15 games. She scored 10 or more points in seven straight games from Nov. 20 through Dec. 8, and averaged 15.3 points per game during that stretch. Bell leads the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game.
l Carter coming on strong: Vanderbilt freshman LeaLea Carter has officially turned the corner. The freshman from Dickson, Tenn., scored a team-high 17 points in Thursday’s loss to Tennessee, marking the third time in the past five games that she has scored in double figures. She has averaged 12.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game during that five-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 (19.5) and rebounding margin (+1.1). Most impressive, the ‘Dores are shooting 45.9 percent from 3-point range in the fourth quarter this season.
l Going Deep: The Commodores are getting plenty of production off the bench this season. In their first two SEC games, Vanderbilt’s reserves have outscored the opponents’ bench by a combined score of 55-8 (including 29-6 against UT and 26-2 against TAMU). For the season, the Commodores — who routinely go 11 deep — have won the battle of the benches in 12 of the first 15 games. … 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).
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 Last time out: Unable to overcome a cold-shooting first quarter, the Vanderbilt women fell to rival Tennessee, 70-57, on Thursday night at Memorial Gym. The Commodores (10-5, 0-2), who dropped their fourth straight game, made just 3-of-14 shots from the floor in the opening 10 minutes, and trailed 20-7 at the end of first quarter. Vanderbilt played even with the Lady Vols (10-4, 2-0) the rest of the way, but could not erase the early deficit. Freshman LeaLea Carter scored a game-high 17 points to lead VU. Fellow freshman Cierra Walker added 10 points, and Marqu’es Webb had 11 rebounds and five points. The Commodores finished just 19-of-55 from the floor (34.5 percent) and were forced into 21 turnovers while being held to their lowest point total of the season.
l Last season vs. Georgia: Vanderbilt and Georgia split a pair of games last season. The Lady Bulldogs posted a 64-58 in Nashville on Jan. 31, and Vanderbilt won a 54-49 overtime thriller in the second round of the SEC on March 3. Minta Spears was one of the biggest heroes in VU’s win, hitting three consecutive free throws with one second remaining on the clock to send the game to overtime.
l Looking ahead: After Sunday’s game, the Commodores return home to host Auburn on Thursday.