Jan. 10, 2017
Teams: Vanderbilt (10-6, 0-3) vs. Auburn (12-5, 2-1)
Day, Date: Thursday, Jan. 12
Tip-off time: 7 p.m. CT
Site: Memorial Gym / Nashville, Tenn.
Radio: WNSR 560 AM / 95.9 FM
Viewing: SEC Network-Plus (online)
Game Notes:Vanderbilt Game Notes (Auburn) 
l Auburn Game Notes
The Vanderbilt women will be enjoying the comforts of home on a routine basis during the final three weeks of January. The Commodores (10-6, 0-3), who have dropped five straight games, will play four of their next six games on their home floor, beginning with Thursday’s 7 p.m. contest against Auburn (12-5, 2-1). The SEC match-up at Memorial Gym could prove pivotal for a Vanderbilt team that is coming off a heart-breaking 70-68 loss to Georgia on Sunday and is still seeking its first conference win. Thursday’s match-up at Memorial will feature one of the nation’s best-shooting teams pitted against one of the country’s most disruptive defenses: The Commodores are ranked No. 5 in the country in 3-point shooting at 40.5 percent, while Auburn is ranked No. 3 in the nation in turnovers forced per game (24.1). Here’s a closer look at Thursday’s game:
l Update on the Commodores: Vanderbilt enters Thursday’s game in need of an emotional shot in the arm after suffering a last-second loss to Georgia, 70-68, in a roller-coaster of a game on Sunday afternoon. The Commodores led by 13 points in the first half, trailed by seven early in the fourth quarter, then owned a three-point lead with 1:18 to play. But Georgia scored the final five points and won the game on a jumper by Stephanie Paul with three-tenths of a second to play. … After shooting the ball so effectively during the first six weeks of the season, Vanderbilt has endured a cold-shooting stretch over the past month. During their current five-game skid, the Commodores have shot 36.8 percent from the floor, 35.2 percent from 3-point range and 68.7 percent from the foul line. Prior to the losing streak, Vanderbilt was shooting 45.0 from the floor, 41.7 from 3-point range and 78.4 from the line. … Vanderbilt has two players averaging in double figures, with Rachel Bell scoring a team-high 12.0 points per game and Christa Reed averaging 10.5. … Marqu’es Webb is Vanderbilt’s top rebounder, and ranks among the SEC’s best, with 9.1 boards per game. … Freshman Kayla Overbeck is having a terrific season, averaging 9.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
l Home is where the points are: The Commodores enter Thursday’s game with some impressive numbers on their home floor, where they’ve posted a 6-2 record. Vanderbilt is averaging 74.6 points per game at Memorial Gym (compared to 70.9 in away/neutral games) and is shooting 47.7 percent from the field (compared to 42.1 in away/neutral games).
l Young guns: Vanderbilt’s freshmen continue to shine for the Commodores, with the five-member class combining for 35.2 points, 16.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game. The five players have accounted for 48.3 percent of Vanderbilt’s scoring, 40 percent of VU’s rebounds and 55 percent of the team’s assists. The five players are also accounting for 51 percent of the Commodores’ 3-pointers (making 59 of Vanderbilt’s 112 three’s).
l Among the best: Through the first 16 games of the season, the Commodores have proven themselves to be one of the country’s best-shooting teams from long range. They lead the SEC — and rank fifth in the nation — in 3-point accuracy at 40.5 percent. … Vanderbilt is also fourth in the SEC and 53rd in the nation in free throw percentage at 74.2. … The Commodores are seventh in the country in free throws made (259) and 27th in the country in defensive rebounds per game (29). … Vanderbilt leads the SEC in 3-pointers made per game (7.2) and total 3-pointers made (115).
l Scouting Auburn: The Tigers, who made the NCAA Tournament last season, create as much havoc on defense as almost any team in the nation. They are forcing 24.1 turnovers per game — the third-best mark in nation — and have the country’s fifth-best turnover margin at +8.7. They also rank fourth in the nation in total steals (216) and ninth in steals per game (12.7). … Senior guard Katie Frerking is closing her career in strong fashion. She ranks 12th in the nation in steals (51), and is Auburn’s leading scorer (15.9) and top rebounder (7.0). … Brandi Montgomery is averaging15.8 ppg and leads the SEC in 3-pointers (42) and 3-point attempts (122).
l Series History: Thursday’s game will be the 48th all-time meeting between the teams, with Vanderbilt owning a 28-19 lead in the series. … Auburn has won the past three matchups against Vanderbilt, including posting a 53-45 win last season in Auburn and winning the past two games in Memorial Gym. … Prior to the Tigers’ three-game winning streak in the series, the Commodores won 21 consecutive games against Auburn, a remarkable streak that started on Jan. 14, 2001 and ended on Feb. 12, 2014. … In the most recent matchup at Memorial, the Tigers beat Vanderbilt 70-58 on Feb. 26, 2015. Auburn also posted a 68-62 victory in Nashville late in the 2013-14 campaign.
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 16 games of the season, Vanderbilt is averaging 72.8 points per game after scoring just 62.5 ppg last season. The Commodores are also making an SEC-best 7.2 three-pointers per game, compared to just 5.4 last season. Vanderbilt is converting 16.2 free throws per game this season after making only 11.4 last season.
l Bouncing back: The Commodores enter Thursday’s game with hopes of ending a five-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.
Points per game during winning streak: 77.2
Points per game during losing streak: 63.5
Shooting percentage during winning streak: 45.7
Shooting percentage during losing streak: 36.9
3-point percentage during winning streak: 41.2
3-point percentage during losing streak: 37.0
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 21st 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 (136). … Freshman Cierra Walker ranks seventh in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.36.
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 11 of Vanderbilt’s first 16 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 12.0 points per game.
l Carter coming on strong: Vanderbilt freshman LeaLea Carter has officially turned the corner. She has averaged 11.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 25 minutes per game in the past six games after averaging only 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 11.4 minutes 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. The freshman from Dickson, Tenn., scored a team-high 17 points in last Thursday’s loss to Tennessee, marking the third time in five games that she scored in double figures.
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 (19.1) and rebounding margin (+1.2). Most impressive, the `Dores are shooting 45.2 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 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 16 games. … During a three-game stretch from Dec. 28-Jan. 5, VU’s bench outscored the opponents’ reserves 82-18, and during a three-game stretch from Dec. 5-18, the Vanderbilt reserves outscored the opponents’ bench103-43.
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: The Commodores suffered a 70-68 loss in Athens on Sunday afternoon, with Stephanie Paul’s short jumper with three-tenths of a second to play being the difference maker for the Lady Dogs. The Commodores, normally one of the SEC’s best free-throw shooting teams, made just 18-of-30 attempts from the line, and the missed opportunities proved costly, as Vanderbilt (10-6, 0-3) dropped its fifth straight game. Kayla Overbeck and Marqu’es Webb had 12 points each for Vanderbilt. Cierra Walker and Rachel Bell added 10 points each. Vanderbilt owned a 68-65 lead after an offensive putback by Webb with 1:18 to play in the fourth quarter, but Georgia scored the game’s final five points. Vanderbilt finished 8-of-15 from 3-point range in the loss, and out-rebounded the Lady Bulldogs, 42-38, despite being outsized. The Commodores made five 3-pointers in the first quarter while jumping out to a 21-10 lead.
l Last season vs. Auburn: For more than a decade, the Vanderbilt women have enjoyed a road-court advantage at Auburn. That ended last season on Feb. 4. Guilty of a season-high 29 turnovers and limited to 17 percent shooting from 3-point range, the Commodores suffered a 53-45 loss to the Tigers. Vanderbilt (15-7, 4-5) had won nine consecutive games on Auburn’s home floor, which dated back to 1999. Vanderbilt shot just 35 percent from the floor, including 3-of-17 from 3-point range, in the loss. Brandy Montgomery finished with a game-high 16 points for Auburn, and Jasmine Jenkins paced Vanderbilt with 11. Christa Reed and Minta Spears both fouled out for the Commodores, who fell behind in the first two minutes and trailed the rest of the way.
l Looking ahead: After Thursday’s game, the Commodores remain at home to host Missouri on Sunday.