NASHVILLE – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team kicks off the 2018-19 season on Tuesday night when it welcomes in North Alabama at Memorial Gym. Tip is set for 6 p.m. CT with the game airing live on SEC Network Plus, on the radio with Charlie Mattos on the Vanderbilt IMG Radio Network, and online on vucommodores.com.
STARTING FIVE
- Vanderbilt welcomes in a plethora of new staff for the 2018-19 season; including Mickie DeMoss, Shereka Wright and Gary Redus II. Wright joins as an Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator after spending five years on staff at Alabama. Hall of Fame assistant DeMoss enters as the Director of Offensive Analytics. The 40-year veteran has spent the last two seasons as an assistant at LSU. Redus comes as an assistant after serving as an assistant at Delta State.
- Redshirt junior Mariella Fasoula spent the summer competing in the FIBA World Cup for her native country, Greece. The squad fell to Nigeria in the final round of qualifying – but Fasoula shined bright, putting together an 18-point, 12-rebound outing. During the World Cup tournament, Fasoula averaged 9.5 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Greece squad. In 2017, she paced the country’s FIBA U-20 European Championship effort by averaging 22.1 points per game and 9.3 rebounds.
- The Commodores closed out the 2017-18 season with an 88-76 setback to Arkansas in the first round of the 2018 SEC Tournament.
- Chelsie Hall earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team last season. Hall led the Commodores in scoring with 11.9 points per game, is the No. 26 scorer in the league and the No. 3 freshman scorer. Hall became the third player in the Stephanie jWhite era to earn SEC accolades.
- Vanderbilt said goodbye to the 2018 senior class of Rachel Bell, Myka Dancy and Christa Reed. Bell and Reed each became members of the 1,000-point club last season.
YOUNG LEADERSHIP
Vanderbilt continues a trend of being a young team. Last season 10-of-14 players were underclassmen. This season’s squad features just one senior in Bree Horrocks.
The Commodores welcome in a pair of high caliber recruits in freshmen Brinae Alexander and Jordyn Cambridge. Cambridge was ranked a Top-23 prospect and No. 4 guard in her class by ESPNHoopGurlz. Alexander was a McDonald’s All-American nominee and named the No. 51 player in her class and No. 14 player in her position by ESPNHoopGurlz. ESPNW named Alexander the No. 33 best player in the nation and Prospect Nation called her the 59th best player.
Alexander put together a 21-point, six rebound outing in her Commodore debut in an exhibition contest against the University of Indianapolis.
DANGEROUS DORES
Three Commodores eclipsed the 20-point mark in their lone exhibition. Fasoula led all players with 26 points, Hall collected 22 and Alexander netted 21. Fasoula went 11-for-12 from the field while Hall went 7-of-10, but put away 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Alexander drained 3-of-5 from the three-point line. The last time three Commodores scored 20 points was Feb. 6, 2011 at Florida.
SCOUTING REPORT
- This season marks the first for North Alabama as a Division I program.
- The Lions were selected to finish eighth in the ASUN’s preseason poll.
- Ivy Wallen was selected to the preseason All-ASUN team.
- The contest will be the first-ever against the Lions.
- Emma Wallen led North Alabama with 530 points last season.
UP NEXT
The Commodores will travel to Middle Tennessee State on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. contest.
