Feb. 3, 2018
Vanderbilt (6-17, 2-7 SEC) vs. No. 12/13 Tennessee (18-4, 6-3 SEC)
Sunday Feb. 4, 2018 | 1 PM CT | ESPNU
Nashville, Tenn. (Memorial Gym)
Complete Game Notes (PDF) | |ESPNU| Listen Live
Starting Five
1. The Commodores are back at Memorial Gym for a Sunday afternoon matchup with No. 12/13 Tennessee. The Dores and Lady Vols will square off on ESPNU at 1 pm. Vanderbilt is coming off its first SEC road win with a 75-72 win over Ole Miss in Oxford, snapping a three-game losing skid and giving the Commodores their first SEC road win since a road win at Alabama in 2015-16. The Commodores are looking for their first win over Tennessee since 2013-14.
2. Vanderbilt enters Sunday’s contest on the heels of a 75-72 road win at Ole Miss on Thursday. Mississippi native, Christa Reed led the Commodore offense with 20 points. Kayla Overbeck and Cierra Walker added 13 points and Chelsie Hall added 11 points. Autumn Newby led the way on the glass with a game-high nine rebounds. Vanderbilt is averaging 69.9 points per game in SEC action but in three of its last four games has scored 75+ points, including 82 points against South Carolina.
3. Sunday’s meeting between the Commodores and Lady Vols will be the second meeting between the teams this season. Tennessee won the first meeting, 86-73, in Knoxville on Jan. 7 despite a 20-point outing from Cierra Walker, who drained a career-best six three-point field goals from long range. Tennessee has won the last eight meetings in the series but all seven of Vanderbilt’s wins over their in-state rivals have come in Nashville.
4. Cierra Walker has quietly put together a very impressive start to SEC play. The Oregon City, Oregon native is averaging 11.8 points against SEC competition and has really stepped up her production from long range. In non-conference action, Walker shot .379 percent (22-of-58) but in SEC play, Walker is shooting .591 percent (26-of-54). In the last seven games, Walker has been especially productive shooting .657 (23-of-35) from long range.
5. Christa Reed is nearing the 1,000-point mark after her second 20-point outing at Ole Miss. Reed, who has been in double figures in each of the last five games, needs just 28 points to reach the milestone. Reed will need to average 6.0 points per game over the final seven games of the regular season to hit the mark. Reed is averaging 10.0 points per game and 10.9 points per game against SEC foes. She will join Rachel Bell as 1,000-point scorers to hit the mark this season.
Setting the Scene
The Commodores are back at home for the first time in February when they welcome in-state rival, Tennessee to Memorial Gym. Tipoff is set for 1 pm CT from Memorial Gym and will be available on ESPNU.
Last Time Out
Vanderbilt picked up its second SEC win and first SEC road win with a 75-72 win over Ole Miss in Oxford on Thursday night. Mississippi native Christa Reed led the way with 20 points for her fifth consecutive game in double figures. Reed was joined by three other teammates in double figures in Kayla Overbeck and Cierra Walker with 13 points each and Chelsie Hall with 11 points. Autumn Newby led the way on the glass with nine rebounds.
Scouting Report
Tennessee enters Sunday’s contest with an 18-4, 7-2 SEC record after an 82-67 win over Texas A&M on Thursday. Jamie Nared leads a trio of double figure scorers with 16.9 points per game. She’s joined in double figures by Mercedes Russell with 16.6 points per game and Rennia Davis who adds 11.2 points per game. Those three players also lead the Lady Vols on the glass with Russell leading the way with 8.6 rebounds per game. The first time Tennessee and Vanderbilt met Tennessee entered the game undefeated while this time they are entering the game with a 2-3 record in their last five games.
With A Win
The Commodores will pick up their third SEC win and become winners of back-to-back SEC games for the first time in SEC play. The win would also be Vanderbilt’s first win over a ranked foe since a win over a ranked Kentucky team in 2015-16 and snap Tennessee’s eight-game win streak in the series.
Welcome Home 1992-93 Final Four Team
Sunday’s game the Commodores will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the 1992-93 Final Four Team. The 1992-93 team is the only Vanderbilt basketball team – men’s or women’s – to reach the Final Four. The team, under the direction of current Chattanooga head coach Jim Foster, went 30-3, captured the SEC Championship and reached the Final Four in Atlanta before falling to eventual national champion, Texas Tech.
Home Sweet Memorial Gym
The Commodores are back in Memorial Gym for the first time in February when they host Tennessee on Sunday. Vanderbilt is looking for its second SEC win at Memorial this season and its first home win over a ranked foe since taking down No. 24 Missouri in the 2015-16 regular season finale. Tennessee will be the third ranked SEC foe to come into Memorial Gym this season with each of the ranked foes Vanderbilt has faced this season being currently ranked in the top 15.
Road Win … Check
For the first time since 2015-16 the Commodores picked up an SEC road win with a 75-72 win over Ole Miss on Thursday night. Last season, Vanderbilt didn’t win an SEC road win and over the last four seasons Vanderbilt has won just seven SEC road games.
Christa Reed Shows Out in Home State
Senior Christa Reed, a Mississippi native, made her final regular season appearance to Mississippi count. The Bay St. Louis, Mississippi product scored a team-high 20 points and posted her second game of 20 or more points this season in the win over Ole Miss. Reed is averaging 10.4 points per game and that number jumps to 11.9 points per game against SEC foes.
Reed Hitting Her Stride
Senior Christa Reed has been the pillar of consistency in the last five games. Reed has reached double figures in each of the last five games and is averaging a 16.0 points per game, shooting 50 percent (25-of-50) from the floor and 95 percent (19-of-20) from the free throw line. In games that Reed scores double figures, the Commodores are 5-0.
Chelsie Hall Doing Chelsie Hall Things …
Freshman Chelsie Hall has put together an impressive freshman campaign thus far. The rookie from Boca Raton, Florida is leading the Commodores in scoring with 13.0 points per game and has started every game this season. She’s reached double figures in 16 games this season and in nine of Vanderbilt’s last 11 games, including a career-best 26 against Belmont. Hall’s scored 20+ in three contests this season.
Walker Time
Cierra Walker has taken her shooting to a new level in SEC play. In the last seven games, Cierra Walker is shooting .657 (23-of-35) from long range and averaged 5.0 3-PT FG’s in consecutive games against Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky. Walker is shooting .531 percent from deep in Vanderbilt wins.
Overbeck with the Magic Touch in Commodore Wins
Sophomore Kayla Overbeck is shooting .618 (21-of-34) in Vanderbilt wins and in the last five games is shooting .677 (21-of-31) from the floor with SEC wins over Kentucky and Ole Miss. Overbeck averages 10.8 points per game in Commodore victories