Vanderbilt (6-22, 2-12 SEC) at Missouri (22-5, 10-4 SEC)
Thursday Feb. 22, 2018 | 7 PM CT | SEC Network+
Columbia, Mo. (Mizzou Arena)
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Starting Five
1. The Commodores will play their final regular-season road contest on Thursday when they take on the No. 11/9 Missouri Tigers in Columbia. The Commodores and Tigers square off at 7 pm CT from Mizzou Arena with the game available on the SEC Network+. Vanderbilt is coming off an 88-71 setback at Florida while Missouri is riding a five-game win streak after knocking off No. 11 Tennessee, 77-73, on Sunday.
2. Vanderbilt enters Thursday’s contest on the heels of an 88-71 road loss at Florida on Sunday. Rachel Bell and Chelsie Hall led the offense on Sunday. Bell scored a team-high 22 points, for her third 20-point outing while Florida native Hall added 16 points for her 18th game in double figures. Autumn Newby and Kayla Overbeck led the rebounding efforts with nine and eight rebounds, respectively.
3. Thursday’s meeting will be the eighth meeting between the teams and the second meeting this season. Missouri took the first meeting, 81-70 in Nashville on Jan. 11. The win gave the Tigers the upper hand in the all-time series, 4-3. This season is the first time since Missouri joined the league the teams have played twice in the regular season. The Commodores won the first two meetings but Missouri has won four of the last five meetings.
K4. ayla Overbeck has proven to be a master of efficiency and over the last 10 games is shooting .648 (46-of-71) from the field and averaging 11.8 points per game. Overbeck has reached double figures in six of the last seven games and is averaging 9.1 points per game on the year. She is shooting .595 (94-of 158) from the floor on the year to rank No. 5 in the SEC. The California native averaged just 7.8 points per game in non-conference action.
5. Christa Reed has turned things up offensively over the last 10 contests. Over the last 10 games, Reed is averaging a team-best 13.6 points per game and is shooting .479 (46-of-96) from the field. She is also shooting .962 (25-of-26) from the free throw line in that span. Reed’s shooting .929 from the free throw line on the year but is just shy of the minimum attempts per game to be ranked (two attempts/game) in the SEC and nationally, but if she were ranked she would lead the SEC and be the only player shooting better than 90 percent from the charity stripe.
Setting the Scene
-Vanderbilt hits the road one last time in the regular season when it travels to Columbia, Mo., for a matchup with the No. 11/9 Missouri. Tipoff is set for 7 pm CT from Mizzou Arena and will be available on SEC Network+.
Last Time Out
-Vanderbilt dropped an 88-71 road contest to Florida on Sunday afternoon. The Commodores were led by 22 points from senior Rachel Bell while Florida native and freshman Chelsie Hall added 16 points. Kayla Overbeck added nine rebounds while Autumn Newby added eight boards. The loss was Vanderbilt’s fifth consecutive loss.
Scouting Report
-Missouri enters Thursday’s game with a 22-5, 10-4 SEC record after a 77-73 win over Tennessee in Columbia on Sunday. The win was the fifth straight for the Tigers, who are tied with Georgia for fourth in the SEC standings. Sophie Cunningham leads the offense with 18.8 points per game while Cierra Porter is grabbing 7.8 rebounds per game. Jordan Frericks and Porter are also in double figures with 12.2 and 10.2 points per game, respectively.
With A Win
-The Commodores will pick up their third SEC win and second SEC road win.
-Vanderbilt will tie the series at 4-4 and pick up their first win over a ranked opponent this season and in the first in the Stephanie White era.
Another. Ranked. Foe.
The No. 11/9-ranked Missouri Tigers are the ninth ranked foe for the Commodores this season. Vanderbilt is seeking its first win over a ranked opponent since upsetting No. 12 Kentucky and No. 24 Missouri in 2015-16. The Commodores are looking for their first win over a top-10 foe since knocking off No. 8 Tennessee in 2013-14. Should Vanderbilt pull the upset it will be the first win over a ranked foe in the Stephanie White era.
Bell Hits 20
Senior Rachel Bell picked up her third 20-point game this season with a team-best 22 points at Florida. It was Bell’s 14th game in double figures this season and her first in SEC action. Bell is averaging 10.7 ppg and her 22 points at Florida was just her second double-figure game in her last seven games.
Newby and Overbeck Hit the Glass vs. Gators
Autumn Newby and Kayla Overbeck combined for 17 of Vanderbilt’s 29 rebounds against Florida. Overbeck posted nine rebounds while Newby added eight boards. Newby, who is leading the team on the glass with 6.6 rebounds per game, is averaging 7.25 rebounds over the last four games.
Kayla Overbeck a Case Study in Efficiency
-In the last 10 games, Kayla Overbeck is shooting a blistering .648 from the field (46-of-71) and is averaging 11.8 points per game in that span. Overbeck’s season average is 9.1 points per game, a number that moves to 10.6 points per game against SEC foes. The California native averaged just 7.8 points per game in the non-conference. On the season, she’s shooting .595 from the field which ranks No. 5 in the SEC.
-In addition to shooting at a blistering pace, Overbeck is putting up numbers. She’s reached double figures in six of the last seven games, including six consecutive games, which matched the longest stretch for a Commodore this season. In the six game stretch, she recorded a new career-high with 21 points which was the first 20-point outing of her career.
Welcome to the 500 Club, KO
In Vanderbilt’s matchup with Mississippi State on Feb. 15, Kayla Overbeck recorded her 500th career point. She enters Thursday’s game with 510 career points. She also has 323 career rebounds.
Christa Reed Going Out Strong
Senior Christa Reed has been Vanderbilt’s constant this season and it’s showed in the last 10 contests. Over the last 10 games, she’s averaging a team-best 13.6 points, shooting .479 from the field (46-of-96) and is shooting .962 (25-of-26) from the free throw line. She’s is averaging 11.6 points per game in conference action.
Reed Lethal from the Stripe
Reed has been extremely impressive from the charity stripe this season. She is shooting .929 from the line, a number that leads the SEC and makes her the only SEC player shooting better than 90 percent from the foul line but Reed doesn’t show up in the SEC rankings because she is just shy of the SEC minimum in attempts (two attempts/game). Reed has made each of her last 20 foul shots, although she hasn’t been to the line in each of the last two games.
Chelsie Hall Doing Chelsie Hall Things …
-Freshman Chelsie Hall has put together an impressive freshman campaign thus far. The rookie from Boca Raton, Fla. is leading the Commodores in scoring with 12.6 points per game and has started every game this season. She’s reached double figures in a team-best 18 games this season and in 11 of Vanderbilt’s last 16 games, including a career-best 26 against Belmont. Hall’s scored 20+ in three contests this season. Hall’s 12.6 points per game make her the No. 2 SEC freshman scorer, trailing just Texas A&M’s Chennedy Carter, and ranks her No. 23 overall in the SEC. In Vanderbilt’s six wins, Hall has reached double figures in five of those contests and is averaging 13.3 points in Commodore victories.
Overbeck and Reed, the X-Factors in Commodore Wins
Sophomore Kayla Overbeck is shooting .618 (21-of-34) in Vanderbilt wins and averages 10.8 points per game in Commodore victories. Overbeck has 14 games in double figures this season and in Vanderbilt’s six wins, Overbeck has been in double figures in four of them. Christa Reed is also key in Vanderbilt victories. Reed is averaging 12.7 points per game in Vanderbilt wins and is shooting .550 (11-of-20) from long range in victories.