On Tap: Tennessee, Auburn

Lady Vols visit Thursday, Dores travel to Auburn Sunday

 
vs. #22 Tennessee Lady Vols (16-4, 6-1 SEC) at Auburn (7-12, 1-7 SEC)
Thursday, Jan. 30 • 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2 • 2 p.m.
Memorial Gymnasium (14,316) Auburn Arena (9, 121)
Nashville, Tenn. Auburn, Ala.
Watch: SEC Network Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: WNSR 560AM/95.9 FM
TuneIn: Charlie Mattos (play-by-play)
Listen: WNSR 560AM/95.9 FM
TuneIn: Max Herz (play-by-play)
Live Stats: VandyStats.com Live Stats
Game Notes Game Notes

Promotions: Thursday vs. Tennessee
• Pregame Panel with five prominent Nashville women in sports (more info)
• National Girls and Women in Sports Day
• Limited edition team poster giveaway
• Tickets can be found here

Battle Grounds
vs. No. 22 Tennessee 
• Vanderbilt won the most recent matchup against Tennessee ­— the program’s first-ever victory in Knoxville — on Feb. 28, 2019. Prior to that 76-69 victory, the Lady Vols had won 10 in a row in the series.
• Overall, Tennessee holds a 71-10 advantage in the series and has a 27-7 lead over the Commodores at Memorial Gym. Vanderbilt has lost its last five matchups against the Lady Vols in Memorial Gym dating back to a 74-63 win over then-No. 8 Tennessee on Jan. 12, 2014.
• The series dates back to Nov. 21, 1979, when Vanderbilt lost 77-53.

at Auburn
Vanderbilt leads the all-time series with Auburn 29-22, including a 77-55 victory over the Tigers last month. The 22-point win Jan. 2 was Vandy’s second-largest ever over Auburn and the program’s largest SEC win since 2013. It was also Vanderbilt’s first win in the series since 2014.
• Auburn has won the last two over the Commodores in Alabama. Vanderbilt last defeated the Tigers at Auburn Arena Jan. 9, 2014 (74-65).
• This series dates back to the 1977-78 season when the Tigers defeated Vandy 82-64 in the Mississippi State Classic in Starkville, Mississippi.

Full Steam Ahead
• Vanderbilt ranks No. 20 in the nation in total rebounds and No. 14 in the country with 43.4 per game.
• Vanderbilt has out-rebounded 16 of its 20 opponents.
• Vanderbilt is 12-0 when holding opponents under 40 percent from the field (0-8 when not).
• The Commodores are 6-0 when they have fewer turnovers than their opponent.
• Vandy is 11-2 when shooting better than 40 percent.
• Vandy is 12-3 when scoring more than 60 points (0-5 when scoring 60 or fewer).
• Vanderbilt is 4-1 on the weekends this year and 8-7 on school nights.
• Eight different players have started at least one game for the Commodores.
• Vanderbilt’s 10 nonconference wins matched the most in the Coach Stephanie White era (also went 10-3 in 2016-17).
• Vanderbilt’s win at Washington was its first Pac-12 road win since 2012 at USC.
• Vandy matched last season’s win total (7) by Dec. 15.
• Between Golden (15), Alexander (13), Pearl (4), Carter (4), Newby (3) and Gordon (3), the Commodores have a combined 42 missed games due to injury this season.

Court Martial
• Sophomore Jordyn Cambridge enters the weekend ranked No. 14 in the nation and first in the SEC in steals. She has 59 steals in 20 games this season after she totaled 20 steals in 24 games as a freshman last year.
• Cambridge is the first Commodore with 50 steals in a season since Jennifer Risper stole 81 in 2008-09.
• Cambridge was the first Commodore with seven steals in a game (Nov. 17 vs. Saint Louis) since Risper on Nov. 23, 2008 against Michigan.
• Cambridge leads all major conference players listed at 5-foot-9 or shorter with 12 blocks this season. She is tops among those SEC players with 110 rebounds this season (only SEC player over 100), and averages 5.5 rebounds per game (42 rebounds and 1.8 per game last season).

Plan of Attack
• White’s halftime adjustments have been evident. Vanderbilt has won the third quarter 13 times this year. Excluding the games against four Top 25 opponents, the Commodores are +102 in the third quarter (316-214).

Home Port
• The Commodores are 8-4 at Memorial Gym this season (nine wins in two previous seasons combined) with all four losses to Top 25 opponents.
• Vanderbilt is 12-6 in games played in the USA this season.
• The Commodores did not leave the friendly confines of the Music City for their first six games. Vanderbilt opened the season with five straight home games and the first road contest of the season was at Tennessee State (Nov. 25).
• The first time the Commodores left Nashville this season was on a flight to the Bahamas. Vanderbilt played Rutgers and Seton Hall at the Junkanoo Jam in Bimini, Nov. 28-29.
• The only other road contests for the Commodores in the nonconference season were in Seattle, Washington. Vanderbilt won the Husky Classic with wins over UC Irvine (Dec. 20) and host Washington (Dec. 21).

SEC Sweep
• On Dec. 23, Vanderbilt swept the SEC weekly awards. It was the first Commodores sweep since Christina Foggie (player) and Kady Schrann (freshman) on Jan. 23, 2012.
• Vandy  is the only program to sweep the awards this year.
Mariella Fasoula was Vanderbilt’s first SEC Player of the Week since Jasmine Lister in 2014.
Koi Love became the first Vanderbilt player to win back-to-back SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
• Love is third among SEC freshmen in points per game (13.4), and is second in field goal percentage (.500) and rebounds (124).

In the Community
• This year’s squad has placed an emphasis on volunteering in the local Nashville community. Each team member must complete 10 hours of community service this season. Those hours do not include team mandated community events.
• Among some of the team volunteering events, the Commodores spent an afternoon at the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Nashville where they helped stock shelves and move furniture. They also volunteered on Halloween at Vanderbilt’s Trick or Treat with the Greeks where they handed out candy and provided Nashville communities and children a fun, safe space for Halloween.
• The Commodores also sponsor Gabee, 14, who suffers from craniostynosis, and are raising money for her and the Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Preseason Polls
• Vanderbilt was picked to finish 14th in the preseason SEC media poll and predicted to finish 12th by the SEC coaches.

Alexander the Sophomore
• Sophomore Brinae Alexander scored in double figures in her first six games this season and was Vanderbilt’s leading scorer before her season-ending achilles injury in the first quarter on Thanksgiving Day against Rutgers at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.
• In the season opener, Alexander (20 points, four steals) was the first Commodore in more than eight years to finish with 20+ points and 4+ steals in a game. The last Vanderbilt player to pull off the feat was Jence Rhoads when she went for 21 and 5 against Arkansas on March 4, 2010.

Looking Astern
• Alabama was not a gracious host Sunday as the Crimson Tide used a dominant first quarter to knock off a shorthanded Vanderbilt team 98-61 at Coleman Coliseum.
• Fifth-year senior and leading scorer Fasoula attempted to play through illness, but was held scoreless in just nine minutes for the Commodores who were already without starters Alexander and Autumn Newby due to injury.
• Junior guard Chelsie Hall tied a career high with five steals, freshman Kiara Pearl tallied a career-best 11 points, sophomore guard Cambridge finished with a career-best three blocks and senior LeaLea Carter led four Commodores in double figures with 15 points.

A Vandy Win Would…
… be the second back-to-back wins over Tennessee in program history (defeated No. 1 Tennessee at the 2001 SEC Tournament in Memphis, then defeated No. 2 Tennessee at Memorial Gym on Feb. 2, 2002).
… be the ninth at home this season, matching the last two seasons combined.
… be the first over a Top 25 opponent since defeating No. 24 Missouri 56-52 on Feb. 28, 2016 (lost 26 straight).

A Vandy Loss Thursday Would…
… drop the Commodores to 0-5 against ranked teams this year (12-4 against unranked foes).
… be less good than a win.

On Deck
• Vanderbilt will close out the week at Auburn with a 2 p.m. Sunday tip off. The Commodores will have the following Thursday off before hosting Ole Miss on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 4 p.m. on SEC Network.

#AnchorDown