Feb. 24, 2018
Vanderbilt (6-23, 2-13 SEC) vs. Arkansas (12-16, 3-12 SEC)
Sunday Feb. 25, 2018 | 2 PM CT | SEC Network+
Nashville, Tenn. (Memorial Gym)
Complete Game Notes (PDF) | |SEC Network+ | Listen Live
Starting Five
1. The Commodores will close the regular season on Sunday when they host Arkansas on Senior Day at Memorial Gym. The Commodores and Razorbacks will square off at 2 PM CT with the game available on SEC Network+. Vanderbilt is coming off an 83-68 road loss on Thursday at No. 11 Missouri and is looking to snap its current five-game losing streak with a win against the Razorbacks.
2. Vanderbilt enters Sunday’s finale after an 83-68 setback at No. 11 Missouri on Thursday. Cierra Walker and Rachel Bell led the offense with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Walker, who shot herself out of a shooting slump, was in double figures for the first time since scoring 13 points at Ole Miss. Bell, who has been coming off the bench, was in double figures for the second consecutive game. Kayla Overbeck led the way on the glass with five rebounds.
3. Sunday’s meeting will be the 33rd meeting between the Razorbacks and Commodores and the first meeting this season. Vanderbilt has the upper hand in the series, with a 24-8 series advantage with wins in seven of the last 10 meetings, including a dramatic finish in Nashville last season. The teams have played several close meetings with the last five meetings decided by a combined 14 points with the last four meetings being decided by a single possession.
4. The Commodores will celebrate their 2018 senior class with a postgame ceremony on Sunday honoring seniors Rachel Bell, Myka Dancy and Christa Reed. This year’s senior class features two 1,000-point scorers in Rachel Bell and Christa Reed who both reached the mark this season, while Myka is a three-year walk-on. This season when Bell and Reed reached the 1,000-point mark, they became the first pair of teammates to reach the mark since 2015-16.
5. Entering Sunday’s game the Commodores are the No. 13 seed for next week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville. Vanderbilt enters Sunday’s game with a 2-13 SEC record and a game behind Arkansas. Should Vanderbilt win Sunday, they will hold a tiebreaker with Arkansas and could move up to the No. 12 seed. If the Commodores are the No. 12 or No. 13 seed they will open tournament action on Wednesday at 11 am, likely against the Razorbacks.
Setting the Scene
-Vanderbilt hosts Arkansas in its the regular-season finale from Memorial Gym on Sunday at 2 PM. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.
Last Time Out
-Vanderbilt dropped an 83-68 road contest at Missouri on Thursday. Cierra Walker led the way with a team-best 17 points and was 5-of-8 from long range. Rachel Bell and Chelsie Hall were also in double figures with 16 and 10 points, respectively. Kayla Overbeck and Autumn Newby led the way on the glass with a combined nine rebounds with Overbeck leading the way with a team-best five rebounds.
Scouting Report
-Arkansas enters Sundays’ game with a 12-16, 3-12 SEC record after falling to No. 17 Texas A&M, 104-60 on Thursday for its fifth consecutive loss. Malica Monk leads the Razorback offense with 15.9 points per game and is joined in double figures by teammates, Devin Cosper and Jailyn Mason, who are averaging 14.2 and 10.9 points per game, respectively. Kiara Williams leads the way on the glass with 6.9 rebounds per game.
With A Win
-The Commodores will pick up their third SEC win.
-Vanderbilt will move to 25-8 in the all-time series and record its fifth win in the last seven meetings against Arkansas
Walker Puts Up Numbers vs. Tigers
Sophomore Cierra Walker found her shot against Missouri on Thursday night. Walker entered the Missouri game averaging just 5.2 points per game in the last five outings and with just five three-pointers in that span. Flash forward to the Missouri game, Walker drained five triples, one shy of her career-high and scored 17 points for her first game in double figures since scoring 13 in a road win at Ole Miss on Feb. 1.
Bell Shows up BIG off the Bench at Missouri
Senior Rachel Bell led the Commodore bench against the No. 11 Tigers. Bell had 16 points in 29 minutes for her second consecutive game in double figures. Bell is averaging 10.9 points per game and has 15 games in double figures this season.
Overbeck Efficient Down the Stretch
Kayla Overbeck has proven to be a master of efficiency and over the last 10 games is shooting .614 (43-of-70) from the field and averaging 10.8 points per game. Overbeck has reached double figures in six of the last eight games and is averaging 9.1 points per game on the year. She is shooting .591 (97-of 164) 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.
–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.
Reed Closing Strong
Christa Reed has turned things up offensively over the last 10 contests. Over the last 10 games, Reed is averaging a team-best 12.7 points per game and is shooting .479 (44-of-89) from the field. She is also perfect from the free throw line (20-of-20) 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.
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 three 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 12.5 points per game and has started every game this season. She’s reached double figures in a team-best 19 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 12.5 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.
Charity Stripe Is Money for the Commodores
The Commodores are quite efficient from the line, shooting .727 which is fifth in the SEC. Vanderbilt has six players shooting at least 70 percent or better from the stripe led by Erin Whalen who is a perfect 19-of-19 from the line this year while Christa Reed is shooting .929 percent and hasn’t missed a free throw in the last eight games. Reed is the only SEC player shooting over 90 percent from the charity stripe despite not meeting attempts per game minimums to be ranked.
Vanderbilt’s Sharpshooters
Cierra Walker has been lethal from long range since the start of SEC play. Walker is shooting .486 (36-of-74) from long range against SEC foes and is averaging 1.8 3-PT field goals over the last 10 contests. Erin Whalen has also got a hot hand from long range, she’s shooting .351 on the season from deep and the number increases to .386 percent in SEC play. As a team, the Commodores are shooting .385 from long range on the season and .383 in SEC play. The Dores .385 percentage ranks No. 3 in the SEC. The Commodores have been ranked in the top 10 of the nation in 3-PT FG percentage in three of the last five seasons including finishing the year No. 3 in 2013-14.