March 5, 2008
Team Records and Series Notes:
– Vanderbilt improves to 25-5 and 10-5 in conference play, while Mississippi State falls to 20-9 and 11-4 in SEC play.
– The 25 wins for Vanderbilt ties the school record for the most wins in a regular season. The 1992-93 team also won 25 games in the regular season.
– Vanderbilt has won 10 conference games for the second-straight year for the first time since the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons.
– Vanderbilt now leads the overall series against Mississippi State 71-41, including a dominating 42-8 record in games played in Memorial Gym.
– Tonight’s win improves Vanderbilt to 19-0 at home on the season. It is the first perfect home season for Vanderbilt since the 1992-93 season and the sixth perfect season in Memorial Gym history. Vanderbilt also registered perfect records at home in the 1955-56, 1960-61, 1964-65 and 1966-67 seasons.
– Vanderbilt improves to 57-49 all-time in overtime games and 3-1 in overtime games on the season. Vanderbilt is now 25-13 in overtime games played in Memorial Gym. The `Dores are also 7-6 in overtime contests under Kevin Stallings.
– Vanderbilt improves to 79-198 all-time against ranked opponents and 56-67 in home games played in Memorial Gym.
– Vanderbilt is now 13-7 in its last 20 senior night games.
– Vanderbilt closes out the regular season on Saturday as it travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to face the Alabama Crimson Tide. Tip off from Coleman Coliseum is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be carried live by Raycom Sports (television) and the Vanderbilt/ISP Sports Network with Joe Fisher (play-by-play) and Tim Thompson (analyst).
Vanderbilt Team Notes:
– Key Run: Trailing 85-83, senior swingman Shan Foster knocked down a three with 2.7 seconds remaining to give the Commodores an 86-85 lead. Foster scored the final eight points of the overtime period for the Black and Gold.
– Key Stat: The free throw line proved to be the undoing for Mississippi State and an area where the Commodores excelled at all night. The `Dores were a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe while Mississippi State struggled, shooting 15-of-28 (53.6 percent) from the free-throw line.
– Vanderbilt used its fourth different starting lineup of the season. The Commodores started their four seniors, Shan Foster, Alex Gordon, Ross Neltner and Alan Metcalfe. Sophomore Jermaine Beal rounded out the Vanderbilt starting five.
– Vanderbilt attempted a season-high 38 three-pointers in the game. In fact, the 38 three-pointers are the most ever attempted in a game in the history of Vanderbilt basketball.
– Vanderbilt attempted a season-high 76 field goals in the game, making 30 of them for a shooting percentage of 39.5 percent.
– The Commodores had 20 assists on 30 made baskets, assisting on 66.7 percent of its baskets.
– The Vanderbilt bench outscored the Mississippi State reserves 16-6, and Vanderbilt won the second-chance points category 14-6.
Vanderbilt Individual Notes:
– Playing in his final home game, senior swingman Shan Foster left the home crowd with one of the most memorable performances in Commodore history. Foster scored 42 points, which ties the second-most points scored in a game in Vanderbilt history. Bo Wyenandt also scored 42 points against Alabama on February 20, 1967. Foster is the first person to score 40 points in a game since Tom Hagan tallied 44 against Mississippi State on March 8, 1969.
– Foster now has 1,937 points in his Vanderbilt career, the most ever scored by a Vanderbilt player. After missing his first six threes in the game, Foster made nine-consecutive triples from behind the arc to bring his career total to 355, which places him third all-time for made field goals in SEC history. The nine threes also equals the school record set by Mario Moore against Wichita State on March 21, 2005.
– Freshman Andrew Ogilvy recorded 16 points for the Black and Gold. Ogilvy now has 505 points in his freshman season and is three points shy of setting a new Vanderbilt scoring record for freshmen. Mike Rhodes (1978) currently holds the mark with 507 points in his freshman campaign.
– Senior guard Alex Gordon scored 14 points and dished out five assists in his final performance in Memorial Gym.
– Senior forward Ross Neltner led the Commodores in rebounding, bringing down 11 boards on the night. The 11 rebounds ties a career high for Neltner. He also brought down 11 rebounds against Nicholls State on December 16, 2006.
– Sophomore guard Jermaine Beal had seven assists for the second-straight game. Beal now has 142 assists in his sophomore season, which ties for the second most by a sophomore in Vanderbilt history. Jan van Breda Kolff also had 142 assists in the 1972 season.
– Freshman Keegan Bell grabbed a career-high five rebounds.
