GAME NOTES: The Vanderbilt Commodores bring a three-game homestand to an end on Tuesday evening, as they welcome the Western Carolina Catamounts to Memorial Gymnasium for a non-conference matchup.

Western Carolina has struggled this season at 3-6 overall and enters this contest with a three-game losing streak in tow, including an 84-64 rout at the hands of Minnesota last time out. The Catamounts are no stranger to the road as this marks their seventh official road game of the year. Wins have been hard to come by though, with a mere 1-5 mark away from home thus far.

Vanderbilt on the other hand is playing for the seventh time this year, with a 5-1 mark at Memorial Gym. The Commodores are an impressive 6-2 on the season and are coming into this game following a solid 81-71 victory over Purdue.

Western Carolina is fighting an uphill battle here, as the team is a dreadful 2-39 against current members of the SEC all-time, including an 0-2 mark against Vanderbilt. These two teams last met in the 2000-01 season, an 85-63 home win for the Commodores.

The Catamounts hung tough with the Golden Gophers for the first 20 minutes of action, trailing by just a single point at the intermission (49-38), but the second half told the tale, with WCU getting outscored 45-26 after the break in what turned out to be a lopsided affair. The loss spoiled a strong outing from Mike Brown, who finished the game with 21 points and eight rebounds. Fellow guard James Sinclair tacked on 13 points, but WCU turned the ball over a ghastly 24 times, leading to 29 points for Minnesota.

Western Carolina has had decent success on the offensive end this season, averaging 71.7 ppg on .44 shooting. However, opponents have been even better on the year, netting 75.1 ppg against the Catamounts. There is some scoring depth and variety on the roster, as four of the team's five starters average double figures. Sinclair leads the way with a strong 18.2 ppg. Fellow guard Rhett Harrelson (16.6 ppg) can fill up the basket as well, while Brown (13.3 ppg) and Torrion Brummitt (10.4 ppg) round out the quartet.

Efficient play at both ends has fueled Vanderbilt's success this season. The team is among the nation's best in terms of field-goal percentage (.504), thanks in large part to a .401 effort from behind the arc. The defensive play has been just as impressive, with foes averaging under 60 points per game and being held well under 40 percent shooting (.376). Damian Jones highlights a trio of double-digit scoring averages on the roster and actually leads the team in both scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg). Riley LaChance and Luke Kornet contribute 12.0 and 10.9 ppg, respectively. James Siakam (8.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Wade Baldwin IV (8.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg) fill key roles as well.

LaChance was on fire in the 10-point win over Purdue. The 6-foot-2 freshman was 9-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line to lead all scorers with a career-high 26 points. Jones poured in 15 and Siakam came off the bench with 12 for Vandy, which shot a scorching .583 from the floor overall, including as deadly 9-of-14 from behind the arc (.643).

The odds are stacked against the Catamounts in this one. They have struggled offensively and on the road, while the Commodores have been tough as nails at home.