Jan. 28, 2011
Vanderbilt Game Notes 
| Webcast, Live State, Twitter | Jam the Gym
Ole Miss (9-10, 2-5 SEC) at Vanderbilt (13-7, 4-3 SEC)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011
Time: 2 p.m. CT
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Venue: Memorial Gymnasium (14,168)
Radio: 560 AM (Charlie Mattos)
TV: SportSouth (Dave Neal, play-by-play; Carol Ross, analyst)
Webcast: ESPN3.com
Series: Vanderbilt leads 24-15
Last Meeting: January 2, 2011 (Ole Miss 72 – Vanderbilt 67 (Oxford)
Vanderbilt will be looking for redemption on Sunday at Memorial Gymnasium when the Commodores host Ole Miss at 2 p.m. CT in the annual Jam the Gym game, where all tickets to the game cost $1. The game will mark the midway point of SEC play and will be the second meeting of the season between the two schools after Ole Miss rallied from 18 points down to beat the Commodores, 72-67, in Oxford on Jan. 2.
Vanderbilt (13-7, 4-3 SEC) had its bye in the schedule on Thursday and is coming off a 10-point loss at Kentucky on Jan. 23. The Commodores will put their 10-0 home record on the line against the Rebels (9-10, 2-5 SEC), who won their last road game at Arkansas last Sunday before falling to Kentucky (74-68) on Thursday.
Sunday’s game will air on SportSouth and will be Vanderbilt’s first televised home game of the season. After not being on television until the Jan. 15 game at Tennessee on ESPN, Vanderbilt is in the midst of a stretch in which six straight games and nine of the final 10 regular season games will be televised.
The Commodores have been unsuccessful in Oxford, having lost four of the last five games there, but have been very successful at home, where they have won 13 straight home games against Ole Miss.
In addition to Sunday being Jam the Gym, the Commodores will also hold their second autograph session and mini clinic of the season following the game. Senior guard Jence Rhoads will also be recognized before the game for reaching 1,000 career points.
Ole Miss lost four straight after defeating Vanderbilt, but has been faced with a rough schedule to begin SEC play. After opening at home against Vanderbilt, Ole Miss played four of its next five games on the road. Sunday’s game will be Ole Miss’ fifth road game in seven games.
Vanderbilt’s game against Ole Miss will air on 560 AM in Nashville with longtime play-by-play announcer Charlie Mattos on the call. A webcast will also be available on ESPN3.com. Fans may listen to the audio of the game online by subscribing to All-Access on VUCommodores.com.
Last Time Out
No. 19 Kentucky erased a 10-point Vanderbilt lead by going on a 30-5 run to close the first half and never let Vanderbilt get closer than seven en route to a 78-68 victory over the Commodores Sunday at Memorial Coliseum.
The Commodores (13-7, 4-3 SEC) began the game 7of-13 from the floor, but ended the first half and began the second half going 11 minutes and 26 seconds between field goals. The drought helped Kentucky (15-4, 4-2 SEC) build a 47-24 advantage with 16:43 to play.
Vanderbilt whittled away at Kentucky’s lead and was able to pull back within seven, 75-68, with 17 seconds to play, but by then the ship had sailed.
Vanderbilt had four players score in double figures, led by Christina Foggie, who scored all 15 of her points in the second half. Jence Rhoads finished with 14 points and Stephanie Holzer added 13 points after fouling out in 16 minutes. Rhoads and Holzer also paced the team with six rebounds.
Holzer’s presence — or lack there of — because of foul trouble was a large factor in the game. Much of Vanderbilt’s success early in the game, which led to a 10-point lead, came with Holzer in the game. But Kentucky was able to exploit VU on the boards after Holzer, who scored nine of Vanderbilt’s first 14 points, picked up her second foul with 10:52 to play in the first half and remained on the bench until the second half.
About Ole Miss
The Rebels overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Vanderbilt 72-67 in the SEC opener for both teams on Jan. 2. However, following its win against the Commodores, Ole Miss lost four straight games before topping Arkansas 69-65 in Fayetteville on Jan. 23.
Since playing Vanderbilt, the Rebels played four of their next five games on the road before hosting Kentucky on Thursday. Ole Miss is just 1-6 on the road this season.
The Rebels are coached by Renee Ladner, who is in her fourth season replacing coach Carol Ross. Ross guided Ole Miss to the Elite Eight in 2007.
Ole Miss finished 17-15 last year and 7-9 in the SEC, losing to Samford in the first round of the WNIT. Ole Miss’ last NCAA appearance was in 2007.
Vanderbilt leads the all-time series 24-15, and are 13-3 at Memorial Gym against the Rebels. Vanderbilt has won 13 straight at home in the series with the last loss coming Jan. 8, 1987.
Vanderbilt is just 6-12 all-time at Ole Miss. The Commodores have lost four of their last five meetings at Ole Miss with its last win coming in 2010.
Head Coach Melanie Balcomb is 6-4 all-time against Ole Miss.
Rosamond is Former Ole Miss Letterwinner
Fourth-year Vanderbilt assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Kim Rosamond is a former Ole Miss letterwinner and assistant coach. A native of Louisville, Miss., Rosamond graduated in 1998 before spending five years as an assistant coach at Ole Miss.
Rosamond was Ole Miss’ recruiting coordinator when the Rebels landed former All-American Armintie Price. Price is now an assistant at Ole Miss.
Rhoads Nearing Rare Company
Senior Jence Rhoads is well on her way to becoming the second player in school history to score 1,000 points, have 500 assists and collect 400 rebounds. Rhonda Blades (92-95) is the only other player to accomplish this feat. Rhoads recently topped 1,000 points and enters Sunday’s game with 492 assists and 377 rebounds.
70 is the Magic Number
Vanderbilt is 13-1 when it holds an opponent to less than 70 points and 0-6 when an opponent scores at least 70 points. The only loss came at Tennessee when the Lady Vols scored 68. Vanderbilt is also 10-0 when its scores at least 70 points.
Bumpy Road
Vanderbilt started 0-3 on the road for the first time since the 1998-99 season and were 1-5 and and now 2-7 on the road. The seven road losses are the most since the team went 5-9 away from home during the 1999-2000 season. VU is averaging 75.9 points per game in nine home games and 68.8 points per game in nine road games. Even more telling is Vanderbilt’s defense at home and away. VU is giving up 70.8 points on the road and just 56.9 points at home. The 1-5 start on the road was the team’s worst since posting the same mark in 1998-99.
Youthful Commodores
Vanderbilt’s roster is one of the youngest in the conference. The 14-person roster includes nine underclassmen. Vanderbilt and Georgia are the only two teams in the SEC with four upperclassmen. Georgia has two juniors and two seniors.
The Injury Bug
Vanderbilt has been affected by the injury bug this season. Currently Christina Foggie is out indefinitely after suffering a concussion during practice on Jan. 25. In total, players have missed 12 games this season. Foggie has missed six, Stephanie Holzer has missed four and Jence Rhoads has missed two. The Commodores are also without two freshmen this season who are redshirting due to injury.
Holzer Becoming a Force
Redshirt freshman Stephanie Holzer has fared well in VU’s last five games, averaging 12.83 points, 7.83 rebounds. Holzer posted the fourth double-double of her career and second in three games at Alabama (10 boards & 17 points).
Holzer Foul Trouble Limits PT
Holzer has been very successful for Vanderbilt this season when she has been in the lineup, however her ability to stay out of foul trouble has been an issue. In nine of the 16 games she has played, she has collected at least three fouls and has fouled out three times.
If Holzer were to play an entire 40 minutes, her projected output is astounding: 25.7 points,14.9 rebounds and 4.2 blocks. However, she also averages 6.5 fouls per 40 minutes.
