Jan. 21, 2017
Teams: Vanderbilt (10-9, 0-6) vs. Tennessee (11-7, 2-3)
Day, Date: Sunday, Jan. 22
Tip-off time: 4 p.m. CT
Site: Thompson Boling Arena (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Radio: WNSR 560 AM / 95.9 FM
TV: ESPN2
Game Notes: Vanderbilt Game Notes (UT-2) 
When the Vanderbilt women take the floor on Sunday afternoon, they will be looking for their first SEC victory — and they will also be looking to make history. The Commodores, who are ensnared in an eight-game losing streak, travel to Knoxville, Tenn., with hopes of earning Vanderbilt’s first-ever victory on the Lady Vols’ home floor. (VU has an 0-31 all-time record in Knoxville). Sunday’s game will be the second time this month that the in-state rivals have squared off. The Lady Vols downed Vanderbilt 70-57 at Memorial Gym on Jan. 5. Here’s a closer look at Sunday’s game:
l Update on the Commodores: In what has become a recurring theme, the Commodores endured another last-minute loss on Thursday night, dropping a 59-56 decision to Arkansas and falling to 0-6 in the SEC. Of those six losses, five have been decided by a combined 21 points (an average of margin of 4.2 points), and Vanderbilt trailed by three points or less in the final minute of each game. … Despite their current skid, the Commodores continue to be one of the country’s best-shooting teams from long range. They rank fifth in the nation in 3-point accuracy at 40.2 percent, and are averaging an SEC-best 7.2 three-pointers per game.
l Down in numbers: Vanderbilt has been hit with injuries and illness in recent days. Freshman Cierra Walker missed Thursday’s game against Arkansas with a foot injury, and Kaleigh Clemons-Green sat out the previous game with sickness. (Clemons-Green returned to action against Arkansas, but played limited minutes while regaining her stamina). The injuries/illness have been an issue since December, when Rebekah Dahlman missed two games with a hamstring issue and Marqu’es Webb was hampered by a back injury.
l The leader board: Vanderbilt is led in scoring by two players who are averaging double figures, with Rachel Bell scoring a team-high 12.2 points per game and Christa Reed averaging 10.3. … Marqu’es Webb is Vanderbilt’s top rebounder, and ranks among the SEC’s best, with 9.2 boards per game. … Freshman Kayla Overbeck is having a strong season, averaging 9.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
l Cold snap: The Commodores have been a streaky team this season in the truest sense. They ripped off a nine-game winning streak from Nov. 16 to Dec.18, and then followed that directly with their current eight-game losing streak, which started with a loss to Louisville on Dec. 21. Here’s a look at a few contrasting numbers from the two streaks:
Points per game during winning streak: 77.2
Points per game during losing streak: 63.1
Field goal percentage during winning streak: 45.7
Field goal percentage during losing streak: 38.1
3-point percentage during winning streak: 41.2
3-point percentage during losing streak: 37.7
Free throw percentage during winning streak: 77.8
Free throw percentage during losing streak: 66.7
l Young guns: Vanderbilt’s freshmen continue to shine for the Commodores, with the five-member class combining for 33 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists per game. The five players have accounted for 46.9 percent of Vanderbilt’s scoring, 39.8 percent of VU’s rebounds and 53.9 percent of the team’s assists. The five players are also accounting for 48.1 percent of the Commodores’ 3-pointers (making 66 of Vanderbilt’s 137 total 3s).
l Hot starts: Three of Vanderbilt’s sharpshooters — Christa Reed, Erin Whalen and Rachel Bell — have shown the ability to get rolling early. Combined, the three players are shooting 61.9 percent from 3-point range in the first quarter this season, making 26-of-42 attempts. Whalen is 6-of-7 (85.7 percent), Reed is 14-of-24 (58.3) and Bell is 6-of-11 (54.5). The same three players are combining to shoot 33.3 percent in the other three quarters: They are 13-of-39 in the second quarter, 13-of-39 in the third and 14-of-42 in the fourth. Vanderbilt’s Cierra Walker has followed a different pattern. She is shooting 33.3 percent (8-of-24) from 3-point range in the first quarter, 44 percent (11-of-25) in the second, 15 percent (3-of-20) in the third and 57.1 percent (8-of-14) in the fourth.
l Overbeck on a roll: Freshman forward Kayla Overbeck has quickly established herself as one of the top newcomers in the SEC. Although she was hampered by foul problems in Thursday’s loss to Arkansas (finishing with two points and two rebounds in 15 minutes), Overbeck is averaging 10.8 points and 7.5 per game during SEC play, ranking second on the team in both categories. She has reached double figures in seven of the past 10 games, and is shooting a team-high 56.9 percent from the floor for the season.
l Among the best: Vanderbilt ranks fifth in the nation, and leads the SEC, in 3-point accuracy at 40.2 percent. … Vanderbilt is fourth in the SEC in free throw percentage at 73.4. … The Commodores are 11th in the country in free throws made (296) and 15th in free throws attempted (403). … Vanderbilt leads the SEC in 3-pointers made per game (7.2) and total 3-pointers made (137).
l Scouting Tennessee: The Lady Vols, who posted a win over No. 6 Notre Dame last week, will carry a three-game SEC losing streak into Sunday’s game after losing to Auburn, 79-61, on Thursday night. … Tennessee has three players averaging double figures: Mercedes Russell at 16.7 ppg, Diamond DeShields at 16.6 and Jaime Nared at 15.1. Those three players account for 62.5 percent of UT’s scoring this season. … Russell ranks sixth in the SEC in scoring and fourth in rebounding (9.4). … Jordan Reynolds ranks fourth in the SEC in assists at 4.7 per game. … Tennessee leads the SEC in defensive rebounds (30.1 per game) and ranks second in blocked shots (4.7 bpg).
l Series History: Sunday’s game will be the 77th all-time meeting between the teams. … The Lady Vols own a 67-9 lead in the series, including a 31-0 record against the Commodores in Knoxville. … The most recent match-up between the rivals came three weeks ago in Nashville, when the Lady Vols posted a 70-57 victory (more on that game below). … Tennessee has won six straight games against Vanderbilt and nine of the past 10. … The Commodores’ most recent win in the series was a 74-63 victory on Jan. 12, 2014, in Nashville.
l In elite company: The Commodores have several players who rank among the best in the SEC in multiple categories: Senior post player Marqu’es Webb ranks fifth in the SEC in rebounds per game at 9.2 and sixth in total rebounds (166). She also ranks seventh on the conference’s career rebounding list among active players with 606. … Freshman Cierra Walker ranks fourth in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.4. … Kayla Overbeck ranks 13th in the conference in rebounds per game at 6.9.
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 19 games of the season, Vanderbilt is averaging 70.9 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 15.6 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, leads the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game, and has reached double figures in 14 of Vanderbilt’s 19 games, including the past four. 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.
l Going Deep: Vanderbilt is getting plenty of production off the bench this season. The Commodores, who routinely go 11 deep, have won the battle of the benches in 14 of the first 19 games. … 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).
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: Continuing a theme that has followed them since the start of conference play, the Commodores delivered a gritty effort but ultimately came up short, falling to Arkansas, 59-56, at Bud Walton Arena on Thursday night. The Commodores owned a 56-53 lead after a layup by Marqu’es Webb with 2:58 remaining, but Vanderbilt went scoreless the rest of the way, and Arkansas (13-6, 2-4) closed the game on a 6-0 run to steal the win. Arkansas made 3-of-4 free throws in the final 10.2 seconds, and Rachel Bell’s desperation 3-point attempt was off the mark as the buzzer sounded on Vanderbilt’s final possession. Marqu’es Webb had a double-double, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Christa Reed had 12 points, and Bell added 11.
l Last meeting vs. Tennessee (Jan. 5, 2017 / Nashville, Tenn.): When the teams squared off three weeks ago at Memorial Gym, the Commodores were held to their lowest point total of the season while suffering a 70-57 loss. All five starters finished in double figures for the Lady Vols, led by Diamond DeShields with 16 points and Mercedes Russell with 15 points and 13 rebounds. For Vanderbilt, freshman LeaLea Carter scored a game-high 17 points. 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. Vanderbilt made just 3-of-14 shots from the floor in the first quarter and fell behind 20-7. The Commodores played even with the Lady Vols the rest of the way, but could not erase the early deficit.
l Looking ahead: After Sunday’s game, the Commodores return home for two games, hosting Alabama on Thursday and Florida on Sunday.