Feb. 17, 2017
Teams: Vanderbilt (12-14, 2-11) vs. Ole Miss (16-10, 5-8)
Day, Date: Sunday, Feb. 19
Tip-off time: 2 p.m. CT
Site: Nashville, Tenn. (Memorial Gym)
Radio: WNSR 560 AM / 95.9 FM
TV: SEC Network-Plus
Broadcasters: Kevin Ingram (pxp), Jessica Holman (analyst)
All-time series: Vanderbilt leads, 31-16
Game Notes: Vanderbilt Game Notes (vs. OM) 
With hopes of generating some momentum for March, the Vanderbilt women open a two-game homestand on Sunday, hosting Ole Miss at 2 p.m. in a contest that will be part of Equality Weekend on the Vanderbilt campus (details below). The Commodores come into the game having won two of their past three home games — beating Alabama on Jan. 26 and LSU on Feb. 13 — and they’ll have history on their side when they take on the Rebels. Vanderbilt has won 17 consecutive games against Ole Miss at Memorial Gym — a winning streak that dates back to 1987. Here’s a closer look at Sunday’s game:
l Vanderbilt WBB, MBB teams to honor Nashville Civil Rights leaders: In celebration of Black History Month, Vanderbilt athletics will honor 21 of Nashville’s leading civil rights figures at the men’s and women’s basketball games this weekend (the men host South Carolina on Saturday and the women host Ole Miss on Sunday). Both Vanderbilt teams will wear special Nike uniforms during the games. The university will honor the 21 individuals, as well as celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vanderbilt’s Perry Wallace and Godfrey Dillard breaking the color barrier in SEC basketball, with a series of special events. The equality weekend uniforms, created exclusively for Vanderbilt by Nike, serve as a way to recognize those who fought for social justice and civil rights in the South, and beyond. “It is going to be a special (weekend) at Memorial Gym,” said women’s basketball coach Stephanie White. “It’s a tremendous honor to be a part of this initiative. We are both proud and humbled to have the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the men and women who helped shape our country and opened so many doors that were previously closed.” More information on the event available HERE.
l Need to make a move: With three regular-season games remaining, the Commodores need to climb five spots in the standings, from 14th to 10th, in order to avoid playing on the opening day of the SEC Tournament for the third consecutive season. Making such a move is still a mathematical possibility, although Vanderbilt will need some outside help in order for it to happen. Producing a strong finish, coupled with making some noise in the SEC Tournament, would put the Commodores in position to earn a postseason berth for the first time since 2013-14.
l Update on the ‘Dores: Here’s the latest scoop on the Commodores as they head into Sunday’s game:
* Vanderbilt will be looking to bounce back from Thursday’s 82-51 road loss to No. 6-ranked South Carolina. The Commodores were limited to 12 field goals in the loss, and shot a season-low 22.6 from the floor (finishing 12-of-53). Vanderbilt was outscored 50-20 in the paint by the Gamecocks.
* Vanderbilt has been one of the most accurate and most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the country throughout the season. The Commodores are ranked No. 3 in the nation in 3-point percentage (though Feb. 14) and are averaging an SEC-best 7.2 three-pointers per game. Vanderbilt has made eight or more 3-pointers in 11 games this season, including four of the past six.
* Vanderbilt’s touted freshmen class — Kayla Overbeck, Kaleigh Clemons-Green, LeaLea Carter, Cierra Walker, and Erin Whalen — is combining for 32.4 points, 16.4 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game. They have accounted for 46.9 percent of Vanderbilt’s scoring, 41.4 percent of VU’s rebounds and 52.2 percent of the team’s assists. The numbers would likely be even higher if it weren’t for an injury to Cierra Walker that has caused her to be sidelined for much of the past month.
* Vanderbilt owns a combined record of 29-4 at Memorial Gym against Ole Miss and Arkansas (the two teams that VU will face during this week’s homestand). The Commodores are 17-3 against the Rebels and 12-1 against Arkansas in Nashville.
l Challenging stretch: Vanderbilt’s game against No. 6 South Carolina on Thursday night marked the third time in the past four games that the Commodores faced a team ranked in the AP poll, including two match-ups against Top 10 teams. All three were on the road. … The stretch started with the Commodores falling to then-No. 25 Kentucky 71-63 on Feb. 5, followed by an 86-41 loss to No. 4 Mississippi State on Feb. 9 and an 82-51 loss to the sixth-ranked Gamecocks on Thursday night. … The challenging slate in February has been a new twist for the Commodores, who didn’t face any ranked teams in the entire month of January. In fact, prior to the game against Kentucky, the Commodores had gone 10 straight games — spanning 44 days (from Dec. 22 to Feb. 4) — without meeting a ranked opponent. … For the season, the Commodores are 0-5 against ranked opponents, with losses to Indiana, Louisville, Kentucky, Mississippi State and South Carolina.
l Scouting Ole Miss: The Rebels have won three of their past five games, including posting a 63-59 win over Auburn on Thursday night, and have climbed into a three-way tie — with Georgia and Auburn — for eighth place in the SEC standings. … The Rebels are averaging 68.3 points per game (which ranks ninth in the conference) and are allowing 59.8 per game (fifth in the SEC). … They are led in scoring by Madinah Muhammad at 12.8 points per game and Shandricka Sesson at 12.7. … Ole Miss is shooting just 31.7 percent from 3-point range this season, including 28.6 in SEC play. … The Rebels rank third in the conference in both field-goal defense (limiting opponents to 37.2 percent) and 3-point defense (27.5). … Ole Miss ranks third in the conference in steals, averaging 10.0 per game.
l Series History: Sunday’s game will be the 48th all-time meeting between the teams. Vanderbilt owns a 31-16 lead in the series, and has won 17 straight against the Rebels at Memorial Gym. … The teams split a pair of games last season, with Ole Miss posting a 55-52 win in Oxford and the Commodores rolling to a 74-59 victory in the opening round of the SEC Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. (more on those games below) … Vanderbilt has dominated the series in recent years, winning 22 of the past 27 games, including seven of the past eight. … Ole Miss hasn’t posted a victory at Memorial Gym since Jan. 8, 1987. … Vanderbilt owns a 17-3 all-time record against the Rebels in Nashville, with the Ole Miss victories coming in 1978, 1985 and 1987.
l Erin Emerging: Erin Whalen has been doing some big things for the Commodores in the past few weeks. Although she was limited to two points in the loss to South Carolina, the 6-1 freshman has averaged 10.9 points and 3.9 rebounds over the past eight games after averaging only 1.4 points and 0.8 rebounds in the first five SEC games. Making her first career start against Alabama (1/26), she scored a game-high 22 points to fuel Vanderbilt’s 87-80 win. Whalen is shooting 41.0 percent from long range for the season.
l Walker slowed by injuries: Freshmen Cierra Walker continues to be slowed by stress reactions in both of her feet. Walker has missed six of the past eight games, including Thursday’s loss to South Carolina, and has logged just 15 minutes of playing time since Jan. 19 (She played 13 minutes against Kentucky on Feb. 5 and two minutes against LSU on Feb. 13). The injuries have interrupted a fine freshman season for Walker, who leads the team in assists per game (3.1) and has an assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3) that ranks third in the SEC.
l Star Power: The Commodores rank among the best in the SEC and the best in the nation in numerous categories, both collectively and individually:
* Vanderbilt has ranked among the nation’s Top-5 in 3-point accuracy throughout the season and will carry an SEC-best 39.3 percentage into Sunday’s game.
* Vanderbilt is fourth in the SEC in free throw percentage at 74.5.
* The Commodores lead the SEC in 3-pointers made per game (7.2) and total 3-pointers made (188).
* The Commodores are 27th in the country in free throws made (through Feb. 14).
* Senior post player Marqu’es Webb ranks fifth in the SEC in rebounds per game at 9.2. She is fourth in the SEC in offensive rebounds (3.4 per game) and also ranks sixth on the conference’s career rebounding list among active players with 669.
* Freshman Cierra Walker ranks third in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.3.
* Freshman Kayla Overbeck ranks ninth in the conference in rebounds per game at 7.3.
* VU has three players who rank among the SEC’s top-10 in career 3-pointers: Rebekah Dahlman (seventh with 126), Christa Reed (eighth with 107) and Rachel Bell (ninth with 107).
l Last Time Out: Kaela Davis and Alaina Coates each scored 15 points to help No. 6 South Carolina beat Vanderbilt 82-51 on Thursday night. A’ja Wilson added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Gamecocks, who rebounded from Monday’s loss to top-ranked UConn by defeating Vanderbilt for the eighth consecutive time. Christa Reed finished with 11 points and Minta Spears had 10 for Vanderbilt. Marqu’es Webb had 12 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. South Carolina (22-3, 12-1) outscored Vanderbilt 50-10 in the paint. The Commodores (12-14, 2-11), who were facing a ranked opponent for the third time in four games, shot just 22.6 percent from the floor and were limited to 12 field goals for the game (finishing 12-of-53). Vanderbilt was just 4-of-18 from 3-point range, but went 23-of-28 from the foul line.
l Last year’s games vs. Ole Miss: The teams split a pair of games last season, with Ole Miss posting a 55-52 win in Oxford and the Commodores rolling to a 74-59 victory in the opening round of the SEC Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. Here’s a look at the two games:
Ole Miss 55, Vanderbilt 52 (Jan. 3, 2016): Ole Miss junior Erika Sisk converted a 3-point play with 1.5 seconds remaining as the Rebels sent the Commodores to a stinging 55-52 loss in the SEC opener for both teams last season. Ole Miss outscored Vanderbilt 20-5 during the final 7:03 of the fourth quarter to earn the comeback win in the last-ever basketball game played at Tad Smith Coliseum. Vanderbilt owned a 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter and a five-point lead with 2:02 remaining but couldn’t hold on. The Commodores committed 26 turnovers in the loss, including two crucial miscues in the final 48 seconds. The second turnover in that stretch set up Sisk’s game-winning basket, which gave Ole Miss the lead for the first time since the opening minute of the game. Sisk finished with a game-high 18 points. Christa Reed scored 16 to lead the Commodores.
Vanderbilt 74, Ole Miss 59 (March 2, 2016): Fueled by an explosive shooting performance from Christa Reed, the No. 11-seeded Commodores opened last season’s SEC Tournament with a convincing 74-59 victory over No. 14 Ole Miss in Jacksonville, Fla. Reed finished 8-of-10 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, while scoring a game-high 21 points to help Vanderbilt saddle Ole Miss with its 11th consecutive loss. Minta Spears and Marqu’es Webb had 13 points each and Morgan Batey added 10 for the Commodores, who roared out to an 18-2 lead in the first quarter, owned a 42-19 lead at the half, and were up by as many as 33 points in the third quarter. Ole Miss put together a 20-0 run down the stretch but the surge was not nearly enough for the Rebels, who never trimmed the Commodores’ lead to less than 13 points. Vanderbilt finished 7-of-10 from 3-point range.
l UP NEXT: Vanderbilt hosts Arkansas on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the final home game of the season.
