Feb. 12, 2017
Teams: Vanderbilt (11-13, 1-10) vs. LSU (17-7, 6-5)
Day, Date: Monday, Feb. 13
Tip-off time: 6 p.m. CT
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville, Tenn.)
Radio: WNSR 560 AM / 95.9 FM
TV: SEC Network
Game Notes: Vanderbilt Game Notes (LSU) 
l LSU game notes
After a stretch of more than two weeks without a home game, the Vanderbilt women return to Memorial Gym on Monday night to host LSU in a SEC match-up. The Commodores — who are coming off back-to-back road losses against ranked opponents — enter the game with hopes of kickstarting a late-season surge that could significantly improve their seeding for the SEC tournament. LSU, meanwhile, is looking to continue to solidify its rèsumè for the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers have an impressive No. 23 RPI ranking (through Feb. 10) and are in line to potentially earn at-large bid. Here’s a closer look at the Monday’s contest:
l Update on the Commodores: Vanderbilt has dropped 12 of its past 13 games, including an 86-41 loss to No. 4 Mississippi State on Thursday night. The Commodores endured their toughest offensive night of the season against the Bulldogs, being held to season lows in points (41), field-goal percentage (23.5) and assists (four). … The Commodores continue to be one of the most accurate and most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the country. They are ranked No. 4 in the nation in 3-point percentage at 39.8 and are averaging an SEC-best 7.3 three-pointers per game. … Vanderbilt’s touted freshmen class — Kayla Overbeck, Kaleigh Clemons-Green, LeaLea Carter, Cierra Walker, and Erin Whalen — continues to shine for the Commodores. The five-member class is combining for 33.9 points, 16.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game, and they have accounted for 47.8 percent of Vanderbilt’s scoring, 42.1 percent of VU’s rebounds and 53.0 percent of the team’s assists.
l Think Pink: In a continuing effort to raise awareness and support for the fight against breast cancer, Monday’s game has been designated as “Think Pink” night at Memorial Gym. Throughout the night, the Commodores will host a series of special events, including having Tina Tackett, a breast cancer survivor, serve as an honorary coach. Also, when the Vanderbilt starting lineup is introduced, each Commodore player will walk out with a breast cancer survivor. More info on the Think Pink event is available HERE.
l Impressive numbers from Overbeck: Freshman forward Kayla Overbeck has been a force for the Commodores throughout the season, and in the past month, she has taken her game to an even higher level. Overbeck, who is the SEC’s top rebounder among freshmen, is averaging 11.7 points and 8.4 rebounds in the past nine games, and has reached double figures in seven of those contests. In last Sunday’s loss to Kentucky, Overbeck scored a season-high 19 points and collected a team-high 11 rebounds to notch her second consecutive double-double. Overbeck has posted six double-doubles this season, four of which have come in SEC play. Overbeck is shooting a team-best 54.8 percent from the field for the season.
l Sense of urgency: Over the final weeks of the season, Vanderbilt needs to climb five spots in the standings, from 14th to 10th, to earn a first-round bye in the quickly-approaching SEC Tournament. The Commodores (11-13, 1-10) are mathematically alive to make such a move, but they will need a strong finish in their final six games, along with some outside help, in order to make the climb. … LSU, meanwhile, has won two straight games and three of its past four. The recent surge has enabled the Tigers (17-7, 6-5) to move into a tie with Missouri for sixth place in the conference standings, and they are squarely in the hunt to finish among the top four teams in the SEC and subsequently earn a double-bye for the tournament.
l Erin Emerging: Erin Whalen is getting into an SEC groove. The 6-1 freshman has averaged a team-high 13.0 points and 4.8 rebounds over the past six games after averaging just 1.4 points and 0.8 rebounds in the first five SEC games. Whalen has reached double figures in four of the past five games, and has gone 13-for-28 (46.4 percent) from 3-point range in the past four games. Making her first career start against Alabama (1/26), she scored a game-high 22 points to fuel Vanderbilt’s 87-80 win.
l Without Walker: Freshmen Cierra Walker has missed four of the past five games, including Thursday’s loss to Mississippi State, due to stress reactions in both feet. Walker leads the team in assists per game (3.2) and her assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2) ranks fifth in the SEC. She has made 31 three-pointers this season, second most on the team behind Christa Reed’s 32.
l Mixing it up: Vanderbilt first-year head coach Stephanie White has used seven different combinations in the starting lineups this season. Ten of the 12 players on Vanderbilt’s roster have started at least one game, with Erin Whalen being the latest player to join the list. The freshman from Charlotte, N.C. earned the first starting assignment of her young career in the win over Alabama on Jan. 26, and she responded with a game-high 22 points.
l Among the best: Despite the recent tough stretch, Vanderbilt continues to rank among the national and conference leaders in a wide range of categories:
As a team …
* Vanderbilt ranks fourth in the nation and leads the SEC in 3-point accuracy at 39.8 percent.
* The Commodores are 25th in the country in free throws made (352).
* Vanderbilt is fourth in the SEC in free throw percentage at 73.8.
* The Commodores lead the SEC in 3-pointers made per game (7.3) and total 3-pointers made (176).
Individually …
* Senior post player Marqu’es Webb ranks fifth in the SEC in rebounds per game at 9.0. She is second in the SEC in offensive rebounds (3.5 per game) and also ranks seventh on the conference’s career rebounding list among active players with 647.
* Freshman Cierra Walker ranks fifth in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.2. * Kayla Overbeck ranks ninth in the conference in rebounds per game at 7.5.
* VU has three players who rank among the SEC’s top-10 in career 3-pointers: Rebekah Dahlman (seventh with 122), Rachel Bell (eighth with 105) and Christa Reed (ninth with 104).
l Scouting LSU: The Tigers are one of the best defensive teams in the SEC and among the best in the country. They are averaging 13 steals per game, which ranks third in the country, and their +7.3 turnover margin is the country’s sixth best. LSU has limited opponents to 57.9 points per game, which ranks third in the SEC. … Raigyne Moncrief is having a huge season for the Tigers, averaging a team-high 15.4 points per game. She also leads the SEC and ranks sixth in the nation in steals per game at 3.6. … The Tigers do not rely on 3-point shooting. They have made only 23 three-pointers this season, and are averaging 1.1 three-pointer by game. LSU has attempted only 117 shots from 3-point range. (Vanderbilt, by comparision, has made taken 442).
l Series History: Monday’s game will be the 45th all-time meeting between the teams, with Vanderbilt owning a 25-19 lead in the series. … The series has been dominated by the home team: Vanderbilt is 14-3 against LSU at Memorial Gym, but the Tigers own a 13-4 advantage in Baton Rouge. … The most recent match-up between the Commodores and Tigers came last season in Nashville, when Vanderbilt posted a 58-42 victory on Jan. 14, 2006 (more on that game below). … The teams have split the past six meetings, with each team going 3-0 at home during that stretch.
l Last time out: Traveling to Starkville on Thursday night, the Commodores suffered an 86-41 loss to No. 4-ranked Mississippi State. Victoria Vivians led the Bulldogs with 21 points, Roshunda Johnson scored 17 and Breanna Richardson added 12 to help MSU improve to 10-0 at home. Vanderbilt (11-13, 1-10) shot just 12 of 51 (23.5 percent) from the field. Rachel Bell and Erin Whalen led Vanderbilt with nine points. It was the lowest offensive output of the season for the Commodores — their previous low was 56 points in a loss to Arkansas.
l Last year’s games vs. LSU: Buoyed by a gritty defensive effort, Vanderbilt downed LSU, 58-42, last season at Memorial Gym. on Jan. 14, 2016. The Commodores limited LSU to 33.3 percent shooting and held the Tigers to single-digit scoring in the second and third quarters while rolling to the win. Christa Reed went 3-of-4 from long range and finished with a game-high 15 points, and Minta Spears added 10 points and four rebounds. Akilah Bethel finished with 11 points to lead LSU, and Alexis Hyder and Jasmine Rhodes added 10 each. Vanderbilt led 27-20 at the half and then opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run, which included 3-pointers by Reed and Rachel Bell, to push the lead to 35-20. Vanderbilt never allowed the lead to dip below 10 points the rest of the way. The Commodores committed just nine turnovers and shot 50 percent from the floor, finishing 24-of-48. LSU finished just 1-of-2 from 3-point range and made only eight field goals in the second half.
l Looking ahead: Vanderbilt visits South Carolina on Thursday.