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Home > SECWB News & More! > SEC Teams > Vanderbilt > Vanderbilt vs. Clemson Preview
Vanderbilt vs. Clemson Preview
by LeAnne Harrington, SECWB.com
Posted: November 20th, 2007 @ 5:44pm
The Vanderbilt Commodores (#19 USA Today/ESPN, #25 AP), after suffering their first loss of the season at Indiana State on Weds. Nov. 14, will be on the road again this evening, facing the Clemson Tigers in Clemson, SC. Clemson, which finished the 2006-2007 season with a 12-18 record under coach Cristy McKinney, is currently 2-2, with wins over Maine and Duquesne, and losses to Western Carolina and most recently, at the hands of UT-Chattanooga on Sunday, Nov.18. Coach McKinney is looking to improve on last season’s record, and for the first time since taking over the Tigers’ team, has a full roster to work with. Clemson returned four starters and seven letter winners, but with 14 players on the roster, everyone is competing for playing time. The Tigers have started four different lineups in their first four games, and coach McKinney and her staff seem to still be searching for the right combination to click. So far, Clemson has been led by red shirt sophomore guard Christy Brown, who leads the team with a 12.7 ppg average, and is expected to return to the court tonight after missing the game against UT-C. Although she has yet to make it into the starting five, freshman Whitney Hood is posting 10.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Sophomore Lele Hardy owns a team-best 8.5 rebound per game average, and fellow sophomore Morganne Campbell is coming off of a career-high 15-point performance at Chattanooga on Saturday night and has brought her season scoring average to 10.5 points per game.
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt is hoping to recover from their last road trip, where their overall performance against ISU was marred by poor free-throw shooting and turnovers. The Commodores, who led the SEC in free-throw percentage as a team last season, shot an abysmal 3-of-14 from the line while committing 20 turnovers. As a result of that loss, Vandy dropped in the polls, but is looking to recover with a road win against an up-and-coming ACC opponent. Juniors Jen Risper and Christina Wirth both posted double-doubles in the ISU loss, and senior center Liz Sherwood poured in 19 points.
Probable starters for Clemson:
Moreemi Davis, 6’3” RS junior center/forward
April Parker, 6’2” RS sophomore forward/center
Lele Hardy, 5’10” sophomore guard/forward- 8.5 rpg
Morganne Campbell, 5’8” sophomore guard - 10.5 ppg
Christy Brown, 5’6” RS sophomore guard - 12.7 ppg
First off the bench:
Whitney Hood, 6’2” freshman forward - 10.8 ppg, 8 rpg
Probable starters for Vanderbilt:
Liz Sherwood, 6’4” senior center - 13 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Christina Wirth, 6’1” junior forward - 17 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3 apg
Jennifer Risper, 5’9” junior guard - 8.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.7 spg, 3.3 apg
Jessica Mooney, 5’8” sophomore guard - 6.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Jence Rhoads, 5’11” freshman point guard - 4.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.3 apg
First off the bench:
Merideth Marsh, 5’9” sophomore guard - 8.3 ppg, 2 rpg, 2.3 apg
My prediction is Vanderbilt, having been burned early in the season, will come into this game looking to take revenge. The Commodores, who usually rack up a slew of non-conference wins, are out to prove that their poor showing at ISU was an early season aberration. But: Vandy MUST find their rhythm from the line, play smart and take care of the ball. Ultimately, this is Vandy’s game to win.
Game notes:
Students of the SEC women’s basketball game will recognize a familiar face on the Clemson bench. First year Tiger assistant coach is none other than former Georgia great Saudia Roundtree, an SEC Player of the Year and consensus National Player of the Year who led her Georgia Bulldog team to the NCAA championship game in 1996. Remember: there’s ALWAYS an SEC connection…
Game time is set for 7 pm EST in Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, SC. Live stats link can be found on our left side bar under Games and live audio ($) is available on the school site.
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