Jan. 14, 2017
Teams: Vanderbilt (10-7, 0-4) vs. Missouri (11-7, 1-3)
Day, Date: Sunday, Jan. 15
Tip-off time: 2 p.m. (CT)
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville, Tenn.)
Radio: WNSR 560 AM / 95.9 FM
TV: SEC Network-Plus
Game Notes: Vanderbilt Game Notes (Mizzou) 
Promotions/Events: Dress for Success benefit & We Back Pat game (Details: HERE)
The Vanderbilt women appear to be on the verge of a breakthrough — and the Commodores are hoping it will come on Sunday, when they host Missouri at Memorial Gym. Vanderbilt (10-7, 0-4), which has dropped its past six games, has suffered a series of heartbreaking losses since the start of SEC play, and they’ll be looking to get over the hump — and into the win column — against the Tigers (11-7, 1-3). Vanderbilt enters the game coming off a 64-59 home loss to Auburn on Thursday, while Missouri was saddled with an 80-71 loss at LSU. Here’s a closer look at Sunday’s game:
l Update on the Commodores: Vanderbilt enters Sunday’s game with an 0-4 mark in the SEC, but three of those defeats have been decided by a combined total of 12 points. The list has included a five-point loss to Texas A&M, a two-point loss to Georgia and a five-point loss to Auburn. All three games were decided in the final 30 seconds, and the Commodores owned big leads in each game — they had a 17-point lead in the third quarter of Thursday’s game against Auburn, a 13-point lead in the third quarter of the loss to TAMU and a 13-point lead in the second quarter of the loss to Georgia. … 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 six-game skid, the Commodores have shot 37.9 percent from the floor, 37.4 percent from 3-point range and 66.4 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.
l The leader board: Vanderbilt is led in scoring by two players who are averaging in double figures, with Rachel Bell scoring a team-high 12.2 points per game and Christa Reed averaging 10.2. … 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 9.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. She has three double-doubles this season, all coming in the past eight games.
l Young guns: Vanderbilt’s freshmen continue to shine for the Commodores, with the five-member class combining for 34.8 points, 16.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. The five players have accounted for 48.3 percent of Vanderbilt’s scoring, 40.5 percent of VU’s rebounds and 54.4 percent of the team’s assists. The five players are also accounting for 50.8 percent of the Commodores’ 3-pointers (making 62 of Vanderbilt’s 122 three’s).
l Overbeck on a roll: Although the past month has been tough on the Commodores, freshman forward Kayla Overbeck has been rolling right along. She is averaging 11 points and 8.3 rebounds per game during Vanderbilt’s six-game losing streak, and ranks second on the team in both categories during that stretch. She has reached double figures in scoring in six of her past eight games, and registered three double-doubles since Dec. 8. Overbeck is 13-of-23 from the floor in the past three games.
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 fourth in the nation — in 3-point accuracy at 40.4 percent. … Vanderbilt is also fifth in the SEC and 54th in the nation in free throw percentage at 74.0. … The Commodores are seventh in the country in free throws made (271) 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 (122).
l Scouting Missouri: The Tigers, who made the NCAA Tournament last season, have many of the same strengths as Vanderbilt. Missouri is averaging 6.4 three-pointers per game (ranking only behind the Commodores in the SEC) and are shooting 79.0 percent from the foul line, which leads the conference and ranks seventh in the nation. Missouri, like Vanderbilt, relies heavily on 3-pointers, with the Tigers averaging 19.7 attempts per game. (VU is averaging 17.8 attempts per game). … Missouri is led in scoring by Sophia Cunningham, who is averaging 17.1 points per game. Cierra Porter is averaging 14.2 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds per game. … Porter leads the SEC in free throws made (87) and Sierra Michaelis leads the SEC in 3-point attempts (131).
l Series History: Sunday’s game will be just the sixth all-time meeting between the teams, with Vanderbilt owning a 3-2 lead in the series. … Vanderbilt won the most recent match-up, when the Commodores surprised the nationally-ranked Tigers 56-52 in Columbia last season in the regular-season finale for both teams (more on that game below). … Sunday’s game will be Missouri’s third visit to Memorial Gym, with the teams splitting the first two games. The Tigers posted a 54-51 over VU in Nashville during the 2014-15 season, and the Commodores earned a 62-46 over Mizzou at Memorial Gym during the 2012-13 season.
l Bouncing back: The Commodores enter Sunday’s game with hopes of ending a six-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: 37.9
3-point percentage during winning streak: 41.2
3-point percentage during losing streak: 37.4
l In elite company: The Commodores have a host of players who rank among the best in the SEC in several categories: Redshirt junior guard Rebekah Dahlman leads the conference and ranks 14th in the country in free throw percentage at 90.5 percent. … Senior post player Marqu’es Webb ranks sixth in the SEC in both rebounds per game at 9.1 and total rebounds (145). … Freshman Cierra Walker ranks fifth in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.29.
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 17 games of the season, Vanderbilt is averaging 71.9 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 15.9 free throws per game this season after making only 11.4 last season.
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. Bell, a junior, has reached double figures in scoring in 12 of the Vanderbilt’s first 17 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 12.2 points per game.
l Going Deep: The Commodores are getting plenty of production off the bench this season. The Commodores, who routinely go 11 deep, have won the battle of the benches in 13 of the first 17 games, including a 21-7 advantage in Thursday’s loss to Auburn. … 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). … 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 went cold at the wrong time Thursday night. After building a 17-point lead in the third quarter, the Commodores struggled late against Auburn’s pressure defense and suffered a 64-59 loss at Memorial Gym. The Commodores (10-7, 0-4), who dropped their sixth straight game, were outscored 22-10 in the fourth quarter by the Tigers (13-5, 3-1). Vanderbilt made just 4-of-12 shots from the floor, including going 0-of-5 from 3-point range, in the final 10 minutes. Janiah McKay’s layup gave Auburn a 61-59 lead with 59 seconds to play, and the Tigers held on for the win by making 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch. Freshman Kayla Overbeck finished with a double-double for Vanderbilt with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Rachel Bell also scored 16 points for the Commodores, who led 53-46 with 6:54 to play in the fourth quarter before Auburn closed the game on an 18-8 run to steal the win. Marqu’es Webb had four points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Commodores.
l Last season vs. Missouri (Feb. 28, 2016 / Columbia, Mo.): The Vanderbilt women ended their February Frustrations just in time for March Madness. Playing their regular-season finale, the Commodores snapped an eight-game losing streak by stunning No. 24 Missouri, 56-52, in front of a lively crowd of 5,998 on Senior Day at Mizzou Arena. Christa Reed scored a game-high 20 points and point guard Minta Spears added 19, including converting two pivotal layups down the stretch that helped the Commodores (16-13, 5-11) earn their first win in February. With the game tied at 49-49, Spears fought her way through traffic and made a contested layup with 2:18 remaining to put Vanderbilt on top for good. Spears converted another layup at the 1:40 mark that pushed the lead to 53-50, and then hit a pair of game-clinching free throws with five seconds to play. Cierra Porter and Sophie Cunningham scored 11 points each to pace Missouri.
l Looking ahead: After Sunday’s game, the Commodores head to Fayetteville, Ark., to face the Razorbacks on Thursday.