Feb. 7, 2018
Vanderbilt (6-18, 2-8 SEC) at No. 18/18 Georiga (20-3, 8-2 SEC)
Thursday Feb.8, 2018 | 6 PM CT/7PM ET | SECN+
Athens, Ga. (Stegeman Coliseum)
Complete Game Notes (PDF) | Livestats | SECN+ | Listen Live
Starting Five
1.The Commodores will hit the road on Thursday for a matchup with No. 18 Georgia in Athens at Stegeman Coliseum. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Matt Stewart and Angel Gray on the call. Vanderbilt is coming off a 74-64 loss to No. 12/13 Tennessee in Sunday. The Dores, who picked up their first SEC road win last week at Ole Miss, are looking for their first win in Athens since 2010-11 and just the eighth win on the Bulldogs home court all time.
2.Vanderbilt enters Thursdays’ contest after a hard fought 74-64 loss to No. 12/13 Tennessee on Sunday. Much like the first matchup between the teams, the game came down to the fourth quarter where the Lady Vols pulled away. Chelsie Hall led Vanderbilt with 19 points and six rebounds. Kayla Overbeck added 13 points while seniors Christa Reed and Rachel Bell contributed 12 points each. Vanderbilt is averaging 69.9 points per game in SEC action and has reached 70+ in eight of its 10 SEC contests with a season-best 82 points against South Carolina.
3.Thursday’s meeting with Georgia will be the second meeting between the teams this season. Georgia won the first meeting in Nashville 81-52 on Jan. 4. The Commodores didn’t have their best offensive showing that night and the 52 points is the lowest points for Vanderbilt in an SEC contest this season. Georgia has won five of the last six meetings between the teams but the games have traditionally been close. Prior to this season, the last 10 meeting had been decided by an average of 9.0 ppg including a two-point Georgia win in Athens last season.
4.Kayla Overbeck has put together a pretty impressive seven-game stretch. Over the last seven games, Overbeck has reached double figures in five contests of those contests and currently had been in double figures in the last three games. Through the last seven games, Overbeck is averaging 11.0 points per game and is shooting an impressive .732 (30-of-41) from the field. On the season, the California native is averaging 8.7 points per game, a figure that jumps to 10.1 in SEC play. For comparison, Overbeck averaged just 7.8 points per game in non-conference action.
5.Christa Reed is making the most of her last SEC slate. Through the last seven games, Reed is averaging a team-best 13.7 points per game and shooting .500 percent from the floor (32-of-64). She been extremely impressive from the charity stripe, shooting .955 percent (21-22). She’s reached double figures in each of the last six games and enters the Georgia game needing just 16 points to join the 1,000-point club.
Setting the Scene
The Commodores open a two-game road stretch on Thursday with a trip to Athens, Ga., to take on the No. 18 Georgia Bulldogs. Tipoff is set for 7 pm ET/6 PM CT from Stegeman Coliseum. The game will be available on SEC Network+ and WatchESPN.
Last Time Out
Vanderbilt dropped a 74-64 contest to No. 12/13 Tennessee on Sunday. Chelsie Hall led the way with a team-best 19 points, six rebound and five assists. Joining Hall in double figures were teammates Kayla Overbeck with 13 points and seniors Christa Reed and Rachel Bell with 12 points, respectively. The Commodores honored the 1992-93 Final Four team at halftime. That team is the only Vanderbilt team – men’s or women’s to reach the Final Four.
Scouting Report
Georgia enters Thursday’s contest with a 20-3, 8-2 SEC record after a 69-45 win over Ole Miss on Sunday. Mackenzie Engram leads the Lady Bulldog offense with 13.2 points per game and is joined in double figures by Caliya Robinson who is contributing 13.1 points per game. Robinson leads the way on the glass with a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game. The No. 18 Bulldogs are the No. 2 team in the SEC trailing just undefeated Mississippi State and have won eight of their last nine games with their only home SEC loss coming to No. 2 Mississippi State in their SEC opener on Dec. 31.
With A Win
The Commodores will pick up their third SEC win and their second SEC road win. A win would also be the first in Athens since 2010-11. It would also give the Commodores the first win over a ranked opponent since the 2015-16 season.
Road Trippin’
The Commodores will spend much of the final month of the season on the road. Vanderbilt will make five road trips in the final eight games of the season after making just two road trips the month of January. The Commodores picked up their first SEC road win since 2015-16 last Thursday with a 75-72 win over Ole Miss. Last season, Vanderbilt didn’t win an SEC road win and over the last four seasons Vanderbilt has won just seven SEC road games.
Another Ranked Foe on Tap
Thursday’s game at No. 18 Georgia will mark the second straight ranked opponent for the Commodores. Vanderbilt has faced five ranked opponents this season and currently sports and 0-5 record despite playing some of its best basketball of the season against ranked opponents. Vanderbilt last earned a win over a ranked foe in 2015-16 when it knocked off No. 12 Kentucky in Lexington and closed the season with a win over No. 24 Missouri.
Christa Reed Closing Her Career Strong
Senior Christa Reed has been Vanderbilt’s consistent this season. The Bay St. Louis, Mississippi native has put together quite the impressive seven-game stretch. Over the last seven games, she’s averaging a team-best 13.7 points, shooting .5000 percent from the field (32-of-64) and is knocking down .440 percent of her shots from long range (11-of-25). Probably the most impressive number is from the free throw line, she’s shooting .955 percent (21-of-22) and enters the Georgia game having made her last 15 foul shots.
Reed Approaching 1K
Reed is closing in on her 1,000th career point and entering the Georgia game is just 16 points shy of the mark. Should she reach the mark, she will become the second Commodore to reach 1,000 points joining classmate teammate Rachel Bell.
Kayla Overbeck a Case Study in Efficiency
Sophomore Kayla Overbeck has really stepped her game up since the start of SEC play. In the last seven games, Overbeck is shooting a blistering .732 percent from the field (30-of-41) and is averaging 11.9 points per game in that span. Overbeck’s season average is 8.7 points per game a number that moves to 10.1 points per game against SEC foes. The California native averaged just 7.8 points per game in the non-conference.
Walker From Deep
Cierra Walker has quietly put together a very impressive SEC campaign. The Oregon City, Oregon native is averaging 10.8 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 from deep but in SEC play, Walker is shooting .531 percent (26-of-49). In the last seven games, Walker has been especially productive shooting .6531 (17-of-32) from long range. Walker is shooting .531 percent from deep in Vanderbilt wins and is averaging 2.8 triples in Commodore wins.
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 13.3 points per game and has started every game this season. She’s reached double figures in a team-best 17 games this season and in 10 of Vanderbilt’s last 12 games, including a career-best 26 against Belmont. Hall’s scored 20+ in three contests this season. Hall’s 13.3 points make her the No.2 SEC freshman scorer trailing just Texas A&M’s Chennedy Carter.
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. Overbeck has 12 games in double figures this season and of Vanderbilt’s six wins, Overbeck has been in double figures in four of them.
Offense Settling In
Vanderbilt’s offense over the last five games has been vastly improved. In the last five games, the Commodores are shooting .494 percent from the field and as a team are shooting .405 percent from long range. Vanderbilt is averaging 72.6 points per game in this span. If you look out over the last seven games, the Commodores are shooting .481 percent and are scoring 71.9 points per game. In comparison, through the first two SEC games Vanderbilt was shooting just .394 and averaging 58.5 points per game.