Jan. 2, 2016
Teams: Vanderbilt (11-2, 0-0) vs. Ole Miss (8-5, 0-0)
Day, Date: Sunday, Jan. 3
Tip-off time: 2 p.m.
Site: Tad Smith Coliseum (Oxford, Miss.)
Radio: 560 AM / 95.9 FM
Viewing: SEC Network Plus (online)
Game Notes: Click on PDFs at the bottom of the page
Update on the teams: Vanderbilt will carry a 10-game winning streak into the game. Ole Miss has gone 7-2 in its past nine games after opening the season 1-3.
The Vanderbilt women, who have won 10 straight games, will be involved in a historic event Sunday when they travel to Oxford, Miss., to face Ole Miss. The contest — which is the SEC opener for both teams — will be the final basketball game ever played at Tad Smith Coliseum. The 8,867-seat venue opened in 1966 and has hosted more than 3.4 million fans in its 50 years of existence. The Ole Miss teams will officially move into their new $95 million arena — the Pavilion — after Sunday’s contest. Here’s a closer look at the game:
l The skinny on Vanderbilt: The Commodores roll into SEC play with plenty of confidence and momentum. They’ve reeled off 10 straight wins — eight of which have come by double-digit margins — during a hot streak that dates back to Nov. 23. Vanderbilt wrapped up its non-conference schedule in memorable style, winning the Fordham Holiday Classic this week in New York. (Details at the bottom of the page). The Commodores’ current winning streak is the team’s longest since the 2011-12 season, when they opened the year with 10 consecutive victories.
l What’s trending: The Commodores continue to shine on both ends of the floor — and they have some flashy numbers to prove it. Offensively, they are ranked No. 9 in the nation in field-goal percentage at 49.4 percent and ranked 10th nationally in 3-point accuracy at 39.7 percent. Vanderbilt is also ranked ninth in the country in team defense, allowing just 50.2 points per game. Vanderbilt is out-rebounding its opponents by an average of 10.9 boards per game, which ranks 18th in the country. (National rankings are through Dec. 31).
l Leading the way: A trio of sophomores is leading Vanderbilt in scoring, with Rachel Bell averaging a team-high 10.9 points per game and Christa Reed averaging 10.8. Redshirt sophomore Rebekah Dahlman, who was named the MVP of this week’s tournament at Fordham, is averaging 9.6 points per game. … Senior Rayte’a Long is averaging a team-high 4.6 rebounds per game and is shooting an amazing 70 percent from the floor (21-of-30). … Minta Spear, in her first season at Vanderbilt, is averaging a team-best 4.7 assists per game. The transfer from Texas Tech is averaging 31 minutes per game, easily the most on the team.
l Scouting the Rebels: The Ole Miss roster includes one of the most explosive players in the conference: Sessom Shandricka. The 5-10 sophomore guard is averaging an SEC-best 18.8 points per game and scored a career-high 28 points in a win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Dec. 16. … Erika Sisk, a 5-9 junior guard, is averaging 11.1 points per game. … Bretta Hart is the team’s top rebounder at 7.5 rpg. … Ole Miss has a +10.9 turnover margin, which ranks second in the nation.
l Sizing up the Series Sunday’s game will mark the 46th meeting between Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. The Commodores have won six straight against the Rebels and own a 30-15 lead in the all-time series. … The most recent meeting between the teams was last year in Nashville, when Vanderbilt rallied back from a 16-point deficit to beat the Rebels 58-54 in Nashville (details below). … Vanderbilt is 8-12 against Ole Miss in Oxford, including posting an 80-74 victory two years in the Commodores’ most recent trip to the Tad Smith Coliseum. … Vanderbilt head coach Melanie Balcomb has gone 12-4 against Ole Miss during her tenure at VU, and she is 4-4 against the Rebels in Oxford. … The Commodores have gone 21-4 against Ole Miss since the start of the 1995-96 season. … The series dates back to the 1977-78 season, which was VU’s first year of women’s basketball
l Last year’s game: Kristen Gaffney scored the go-ahead basket with six seconds left as the Commodores rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to down Ole Miss, 58-54, on Feb. 4, 2015, at Memorial Gym. Vanderbilt closed the game on a 10-0 run to beat Ole Miss in Nashville for the 17th consecutive time. Vanderbilt’s Rachel Bell finished with a team-high 16 points and Morgan Batey added 14. Vanderbilt outscored the Rebels 34-14 over the final 13:24 to flip a 40-24 deficit into the four-point victory. Batey hit a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining to seal the win. Bell scored 13 of her 16 points during the final 14 minutes to fuel the Vanderbilt comeback. Vanderbilt’s Jasmine Jenkins tied the game at 54-54 with a jumper with 2:07 to go and the game remaining tied until Gaffney’s clutch basket.
l VU’s most recent games: Vanderbilt extended its winning streak to 10 games on Wednesday and captured the championship of the Fordham Holiday Classic by defeating host Fordham, 53-40, in the title game of the two-day tournament. Minta Spears scored 11 points, going 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to pace the Commodores (11-2). Rebekah Dahlman came off the bench to score 10 points and was named the tournament’s MVP. Vanderbilt’s led the game from start to finish. … In the opening round of the tournament, Marqu’es Webb and Dahlman were the driving forces in a 71-45 victory over New Mexico State. Webb went 8-of-11 from the floor while scoring a game-high 17 points and Dahlman added 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Morgan Batey pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds and Kristen Gaffney set new career highs with seven assists and six steals.
l About Tad Smith Coliseum: The coliseum was opened in 1966 for an original cost of $1.8 million  compared to the $95 million it cost to build the Pavilion  and has hosted more than 3.4 million fans in its 50 years of existence.The building opened during 1965-1966 and was called Rebel Coliseum. It was renamed on March 25, 1972, to honor C. M. “Tad” Smith, former three-sport letterman, coach and athletic director at the university.
l Vanderbilt Notes: Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss Game N 
l Ole Miss Notes: Ole Miss Game Notes
