The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Opens SEC Play with Vanderbilt
1/2/2016 | Women's Basketball
Game Notes - vs. Vanderbilt - Game 14
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Ole Miss opens up the 2016 SEC slate on Sunday when they welcome Vanderbilt to Tad Smith Coliseum for the final basketball game at Tad Smith Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. The game can be seen live on SEC Network+ with Richard Cross and Armintie Herrington on the call. Ole Miss fans can listen live to live audio on OleMissSport.com and 105.1 FM and 105.5 FM locally with Graham Doty on the call.
Game 14: Ole Miss (8-5, 0-0 SEC) vs. Vanderbilt (11-2, 0-0 SEC)
Date: January 3, 2016
Time: 2 PM
Location: Oxford, Miss. (Tad Smith Coliseum)
Television: None
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Livestats:
Live Video: SECN+
Starting Five
1. Ole Miss closed out the non-conference slate with a 103-42 win over Alabama A&M in its final game of 2015. Bretta Hart led the way with a career-best 20 points and a team-high nine rebounds off the bench. Erika Sisk was in double figures for the second straight game with 19 points while Shandricka Sessom and Jonell Williams added 13 and 10 points, respectively.
2. For the third consecutive season, Ole Miss will open the SEC at home. The Rebels are 7-3 in SEC openers over the last 10 years and are looking for their second straight SEC opening win after a win over Arkansas last season, which was the first win for Ole Miss in an SEC opener since the 2002 season. Ole Miss opens with Vanderbilt for the first time since 2012-13.
3. Sessom extended her double-figure scoring streak to 14 straight games dating back to last season, which is the longest double-digit scoring streak on the team currently. Sessom's leading the team with 18.3 points per game and is currently leading the SEC and ranks 51st nationally.
4. Bretta Hart posted her first career game of 20 points with 20 points against Alabama A&M. Hart also added nine rebounds, which was one rebound shy of her second career double-double and her first since her freshman season in 2013-14. Hart has been in double figures three times in her career.
5. Ole Miss closed the non-conference slate with a 8-5 record with its win over Alabama A&M. In the win, Ole Miss passed the century mark for the first time since 2009-10 and moved to 23-10 in non-conference games in the Matt Insell era and 47-26 in non-conference games over the last five seasons.
Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt Notables
-Ole Miss and Vanderbilt will be meeting in Oxford for the fist time since 2013-14. The Commodores own a 29-15 series advantage and have won the last six meetings between the teams including a come-from-behind win in Nashville last season. This will be the first meeting in an SEC opener since 2012-13.
-In the Insell era Ole Miss and Vanderbilt have traditionally played very close games. Four points decided the last meeting between the teams, while a combined 10 points have decided the last two meetings.
-Vanderbilt Kim Rosemond is very familiar with the Rebels as she is a Mississippi native and played her collegiate basketball at Ole Miss from 1995-98 before joining the coaching staff after graduation.
A Win Would
-Snap Vanderbilt's six-game win streak in the series and give Ole Miss it's second consecutive win in an SEC opener. It would also run Ole Miss' undefeated streak to three straight games.
-Give Ole Miss a 410-126 all-time record in games played at Tad Smith Coliseum. The Vanderbilt game is the last basketball game at Tad Smith Coliseum
-Move the Rebels seven wins way from the 800th victory in program history. Ole Miss' current record is 792-477. The earliest Ole Miss could hit the 800th win would be on Jan. 31 at South Carolina and they would become the sixth SEC program to record 800 wins.
Rebels By The Numbers
6- Number of consecutive games Ole Miss has had a player score at least 20 points. Shandricka Sessom leads the way with five games of 20 or more points this season.
7-Number of assists Shandricka Sessom had against Alabama A&M. It was a career-high for the Byhalia, Mississippi native and marked her third game of five or more assists.
14- Number of consecutive games Ole Miss leading scorer Shandricka Sessom has scored in double figures. Sessom is averaging 18.3 points per game and is leading the SEC and ranks No. 51 nationally.
20- Number of points junior Bretta Hart had against Alabama A&M. It was her first career game of 20 or more points and just her third career game in double figures. Hart becomes the fifth player to hit 20 points this season.
36 - Number of points Torri Lewis scored against New Orleans. She was six points shy of the Tad Smith record for points held by Bianca Thomas. Her 36 points are the most for an Ole Miss player this season and is tied for second most points scored by an SEC player this season.
Final Game At the Tad Pad
Today's Vanderbilt game will be the last ever basketball game at the historic Tad Smith Coliseum. Ole Miss has accumulated more than 400 wins at the "Tad Pad" and has won 80 percent of its games at Tad Smith Coliseum. Ole Miss will move into the brand new Pavilion at Ole Miss and the opening weekend of the Pavilion will be Jan. 7-10. Ole Miss will play its first game in its new home on Jan. 10 vs. Florida.
Scouting Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt enters Sunday's game with an 11-2 record and on a 10-game winning streak after winning the Fordham Holiday Tournament with wins over New Mexico and host Fordham. Christa Reed and Rachel Bell lead the way for the Vanderbilt offense with 10.9 and 10.8 points, respectively. The Commodores have eight players averaging at least 5.0 points. Rayte'a Long leads the way on the glass with 4.6 rebounds, while Marqu'es Webb is also contributing 4.5 rebounds per game. As a team, Vanderbilt is averaging 69.4 points per game and 35.5 rebounds per game. Ole Miss and Vanderbilt have a common opponent in Mississippi Valley State, which both teams ironically opened the season with.
About Ole Miss
Sophomore Shandricka Sessom continues to lead the Ole Miss offense with 18.3 points per game and has reached double figures in each game this season and in 14 consecutive games dating back to last season. Her 18.3 points currently leads the SEC and ranks 51st nationally. Erika Sisk is also in double figures with 11.1 points per game and has reached double figures in each of the last two games, including a season-high 23 points against McNeese State. Torri Lewis and Madinah Muhammad are nearing double digits with 6.9 and 6.7 points per game, respectively. Bretta Hart leads the rebounding efforts with 7.5 rebounds per game, while rookie Jonell Williams is contributing 6.9 boards per game. As a team, Ole Miss is averaging 78.3 points per game and grabbing 46.8 rebounds per game.
Up Next
Ole Miss hits the road for the first time in five games when it travel to LSU for a showdown with the Tigers on Thursday Jan 7. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. from the PMAC. Ole Miss fans can catch the game live on SEC Network with Paul Sunderland and Carolyn Peck on the call and hear Graham Doty and Armintie Herrington on the call on 105.1 FM and 105.5 FM and on OleMissSports.com.
