Low Energy Plagues Dores

Perhaps no moment better encapsulated Vanderbilt’s opening-round matchup at the SEC Tournament. The 14^th-seeded Commodores fell cold from the field in a 74-57 loss to 11^th-seeded Alabama, ending their season after a short stint at Greenville’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Vanderbilt shot just 37 percent from the field (24-65), including 32 percent in the first half. The Crimson Tide, meanwhile, hit 28 of their 52 shots (54 percent).

From rebounding to points in the paint to point-blank layups, the Dores’ effort was not enough in tournament time.

 

Vanderbilt’s early exit from the SEC Tournament was an abrupt end to a season that had showed flashes of promise late in the year. In a two-game stretch in late February, the Commodores went toe-to-toe with No. 6 Mississippi State in Starkville and beat Tennessee in Knoxville for the first time in school history. Against the Bulldogs, the Dores fought to a two-point game in the third quarter before letting Mississippi State pull away.

Vanderbilt responded in its very next game, making history on Rocky Top with a 76-69 win over Tennessee on Feb. 28. The Dores rallied from 10 points down and ended the game having scored 29 fourth-quarter points, shooting 60 percent in the second half and outrebounding the Lady Vols 34-22. Vanderbilt went into the matchup 0-33 all-time in Knoxville.

The Commodores fought in single-digit losses to SEC foes Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, as well. But that same intensity didn’t make the trip to Greenville.

The Dores eventually played to their potential, in part, by returning to full health. Excluding walk-ons, Vanderbilt players missed a combined 34 games due to injury in 2018-19. That number included lengthy absences from key names like sophomore Chelsie Hall and freshmen Brinae Alexander and Cambridge. In certain situations, Vanderbilt dressed just five scholarship players. The injury bug made it difficult for the Dores to maintain a rotation.

“With a young team, a team that I’m not sure how many games we had a consistent lineup on the floor, that’s still really trying to figure ourselves out, consistency is something we have to be able to bring every day,” White said.

Regardless of Wednesday’s loss, Vanderbilt hopes its late-season momentum carries through the offseason. The Dores graduate just one of its currently players in graduate student Bree Horrocks, which means the bulk of the program’s nucleus is set to return. That includes Second Team All-SEC honoree Mariella Fasoula (16.2 points/game, 7.1 rebounds/game) and All-Freshman honoree Alexander, who scored 13 points on Wednesday. Six signees will join the fold next season, as well, adding much-needed bodies to White’s bench.

That returning cast of characters has White looking forward to the offseason, because she is ready to write a different script when the Commodores return to the SEC Tournament.

“You certainly don’t want to continue to feel this way when you’re at the SEC Tournament,” White said. “But I’m looking forward to building with the pieces we have, with the incoming class we have, and really getting to work this summer. It’s going to be a growing experience for our staff. It’s going to be a growing experience for our team. At the end of the day, we’ve got a lot of fundamental skill work to do.”