Blakes Powers No. 5 Vanderbilt Past Lady Vols in Regular Season Finale
The last time Vanderbilt women’s basketball played in Knoxville — January 21, 2024 — they lost to the Lady Vols 73-64. But that day wasn’t a total loss. Right after the game, one of the top-rated recruits in the country by the name of Mikayla Blakes committed to the Commodores. Suffice it to say, a few things have changed since then.
Blakes led the #5 Commodores to an 87-77 win over Tennessee in Knoxville Sunday afternoon to put an emphatic exclamation point to the regular season. The win in Knoxville was just Vanderbilt’s second in program history, while Tennessee has yet to defeat Blakes falling to 0-3 against the Commodores since she arrived in Nashville.
Tennessee came into the game on a five-game losing streak, but the contest was tight early, with Vandy holding a 20-16 lead after the first quarter. After taking a 29-26 lead on a Justine Pissott layup with just under six minutes left in the half, Tennessee responded with an 8-0 run to take a 34-29 advantage. A three pointer at the buzzer by Tennessee post Janiah Barker gave the Lady Vols a 43-37 lead heading into the break.
One thing Tennessee is known for in their losses this season is third quarter implosions, and fortunately this came to pass once again. A three pointer in the first minute of the second half by Lady Vol guard Talaysia Cooper gave Tennessee its biggest lead of the game of seven, 46-39. But Vandy would continue to chip away, eventually tying the score 50-50 on an Aubrey Galvan floater with six minutes left in the third quarter.
Tennessee’s Zee Spearman put the Lady Vols up 56-55, but Blakes answered with a step back jumper to retake the lead – which they would not relinquish. Despite Blakes getting called for a flagrant foul late in the third quarter, she completely took over helping the Commodores extend the lead to 67-58 in the third frame. Blakes had 15 points in the quarter on 5-7 shooting, 4-4 from the line.
Tennessee closed the gap to as few as five points, 70-65, with 8:30 left in the game. But Vandy would answer with a 10-0 run to go up 80-65 and effectively erase any doubts about the outcome.
With the victory, coach Shea Ralph, Mikalya Blakes, and Aubrey Galvan continued to strengthen their cases for SEC and National accolades.
The win was Ralph’s 100th as head coach, propelling Vandy to a 27-3 record, 13-3 in the SEC. The 27 regular season wins are the most in program history. The Commodores, who were picked 8th in the SEC in the preseason, clinched the #2 seed for the conference tournament.
“I love my team. I’m having such a fun time this year. I don’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun coaching” Ralph said after the game. “They are a really good basketball team, obviously. They’re coachable.”
Blakes finished with 34 points on 12-23 from the field, 6-9 from three, and 4-4 from the line along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. She becomes the first women’s basketball player this century to average 30 points in SEC play.
Galvan, who like Blakes played the entire 40 minutes, was also brilliant. She caps her first season with 24 points on 10-17 shooting, 4-7 from three to go with 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
Senior post Sacha Washington also had a big game battling with Tennessee’s size and length in the paint. The senior finished with 16 points — an almost perfect 7-8 from the floor – along with 8 rebounds.
Vandy played well offensively, finishing 53% from the field, 11-22 (50%) from three, and a perfect 6-6 from the line. The Commodores were edged by Tennessee in rebounding 32-29.
The Lady Vols actually played well on their senior day, making Vandy’s win all the more impressive. Tennessee shot 46% from the field, 29% from three, and 9-10 (90%) from the line. They were led by Talaysia Cooper with 23 points off the bench.
While Tennessee clearly isn’t the same program it once was, that doesn’t mean the win isn’t significant for a lot of reasons. For decades the Lady Vols were the program Vandy was chasing. The Commodores had some great teams and would occasionally sneak in a win here and there, but they were largely dominated both on the court and in national coverage by one of the flagship programs of women’s basketball that happened to reside in the same state.
For the first time in history, that script has flipped. With a third straight victory over the Lady Vols there is no question Vandy has cemented its place as the better program. The Commodores are still in contention for a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Lady Vols, who fall to 16-11, are just hoping to get invited. It’s probably a tough pill to swallow for everyone in Knoxville, but with Blakes and Galvan both underclassmen set to be joined by star recruit Olivia Jones, it doesn’t appear the Commodores will be leaving their seat and the big girls’ table any time soon.
After the game, Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell remarked” “That’s a phenomenal team. Definitely deserving of their ranking in the country.”
Vandy will now head to Greenville, South Carolina for the SEC tournament. The Commodores clinched a double-bye and will await their opponent this Friday.
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