Vanderbilt (13-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Georgia (8-6, 0-0 SEC)
Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 • 6:30 p.m. CT
Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, Tenn. • SEC Network+ • Tickets
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Notes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team opens SEC play Thursday against Georgia. Tipoff against the Lady Bulldogs is set for 6:30 p.m., and streams live on SEC Network+.
The Starting Five
>> The Dores enter league play boasting a 13-1 overall record for the second-straight season. Vanderbilt collected a 93-64 victory over Alabama A&M at Memorial Gym this past Sunday to pick up their ninth-straight win to close nonconference play. Sophomore Khamil Pierre recorded her ninth game with 20 or more points this season, registering 29 points against the Bulldogs.
>> Vanderbilt heads into the SEC portion of its 2024-25 schedule with 13 wins, which ties the program record for most victories heading into league play. It is the second-consecutive season that the Commodores have posted 13 nonconference wins heading into their first SEC game. The previous two times came during the 2006-07 and 2023-24 campaigns.
>> Vandy has won 13 of its first 14 games of the season for the seventh time in program history, with the previous occurrence happening last season. It marks the first time the Commodores have started back-to-back campaigns at 13-1 or better in school history.
>> Thursday’s matchup between the Commodores and Lady Bulldogs will be the 71st meeting all-time between the schools. Georgia holds the all-time series lead at 41-30, though Vanderbilt has won each of the last two contests. The Dores are 2-2 against Georgia in the Ralph era.
>> Vandy is 14-13 all-time at Memorial Gymnasium against Georgia. The Commodores won the last meeting between the two in Nashville, as Vanderbilt claimed a 72-55 on March 3, 2024. The victory over Georgia kicked off Vandy’s current 10-game winning streak at Memorial Gym.
Game Coverage
Thursday’s contest against Georgia streams live on SEC Network+ via the Watch ESPN app, with Alex Gould and Drew Maddux calling the action. Fans can listen to Jake Lyman locally on 94.9 The Fan and the Vanderbilt Commodores app outside of Nashville.
Gameday Information
Click the link here for the latest gameday information on entrance, construction, parking, and ticketing information at Memorial Gymnasium. Fans can purchase tickets by clicking the link here.
Winning at Home
The Commodores come into Thursday on a 10-game home winning streak, which began with last season’s 72-55 win over Georgia on March 2, 2024. The Dores have won all nine games they’ve played at home this season.
SEC Openers
Vanderbilt is 23-19 all-time in SEC season-opening games. The Commodores are 16-5 when playing their first conference contest at Memorial Gym. The Dores posted a 71-66 victory at Mississippi State in last year’s SEC opener. Vandy will be seeking back-to-back 1-0 starts in SEC play for the first time since the 2012-13 and 2013-14 campaigns.
NET Ranking
Vanderbilt enters the first week of SEC play, holding a NET ranking of 12. The Commodores came in at No. 7 in the first NET ranking of the 2024-25 season, the highest NET ranking in program history. The NET is an evaluation tool used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee to determine seeding and at-large bids.
Receiving Votes
The Dores earned 26 votes in this week’s Associate Press Top 25 Poll and 23 votes in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. It marks the fifth-straight week that Vanderbilt has been featured in both major college women’s basketball polls.
Scoring Streaks
A pair of Dores enter Thursday’s contest on a double-digit scoring streak. Sophomore Khamil Pierre has registered 10-plus points in 16-straight games, while senior Iyana Moore has scored double figures in seven-straight games. Pierre’s streak is the longest for a Commodore since 2013-14, when Christina Foggie registered double-digit points in 19-straight games. Pierre’s 16-straight games with 10 or more points are tied for the seventh-longest double-digit scoring streak by a Dore since 1999-00.
Khamil Among the Nation’s Best
Sophomore Khamil Pierre enters SEC play leading all of NCAA Division I in field goals made with 129. The 6-2 forward ranks second nationally in both steals (51) and steals per game (3.92), third in double-doubles (10), fifth in scoring (22.7 ppg), and seventh in rebounding (11.2 rpg).
Blakes Leading The Freshmen
First-year guard Mikayla Blakes is making an early case for national freshman of the year consideration. The 5-8 guard leads all NCAA Division I freshmen in points scored (269), steals (40), and steals per game (2.86), and she was the first freshman in NCAA Division I to score over 200 points this season.
Additionally, the guard ranks inside the top 10 among all freshmen in the country in scoring (2nd; 19.2 ppg), field goals made (2nd; 96), field goal percentage (6th; 45.7), free throw percentage (4th; 84.2), and assists (8th; 49). Blakes is the only player to rank in the top 10 freshmen nationally in points scored, total assists, and total steals.
The Somerset, New Jersey, native has won SEC Freshman of the Week three times. Blakes and Georgia Tech’s Dani Carnegie are the only Power 4 players to win their conference’s weekly freshman award three or more times this season.
Bringing the Defense
Vandy has been one of the best defensive teams in the nation through the two months of the season. The Commodores rank inside the top 35 in all of NCAA Division I in turnover margin (6th; 11.21), turnovers forced per game (11th; 24.71), and points allowed (35th; 55.6).
Vanderbilt has forced teams into 20 or more turnovers in every game this season. Vandy’s season-high 36 turnovers forced vs. Evansville on Dec. 14 is tied for the seventh-most in a game in program history.
Lending a Hand
The Commodores rank 22nd nationally in assists per game at 18.4. Vanderbilt handed out a season-best 30 assists against Alabama A&M on Dec. 29. The Dores have dished out 20 or more assists in six games this season.
Scouting the Lady Bulldogs
Georgia comes into SEC play holding an 8-6 mark and a NET ranking of 140. The Lady Bulldogs are coming off an 83-50 home win over Ohio on Dec. 28 to close out nonconference play.
Freshman Mia Woolfork leads a trio of double-digit scorers for Georgia at 13.6 points per game. Senior De’Mauri Flournoy, who played for Vanderbilt in 2021-22, is putting up 12.6 points per contest, while freshman Trinity Turner chips in an even 12 points per game.
The Lady Bulldogs are putting up 68.0 points per game through 14 contests this season. Georgia is shooting 42.7 percent from the field and holds a success rate of 35.1 percent on 3-point field goals. Defensively, teams are putting up 61.1 points per game against Georgia while shooting 39.1 percent from the floor and 30.9 percent from behind the arc.
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