Vanderbilt beats Memphis in Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic

VANMEM2 — Photo Courtesy of Memphis Athletics

Vanderbilt defeated Memphis 104-68 in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic exhibition game.

Mikayla Blakes Shines

The Commodores’ star guard Mikayla Blakes was the story. She led all scorers with 40 points, the most points scored inside FedEx Forum since Steph Curry poured in 52 against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 1, 2025. The sophomore averaged 23.3 points per game as a true freshman last season.

“It feels great,” Blakes said. “I just want to do anything to win, just to play in this event and represent Vanderbilt. We just wanted to show everybody we’re good and that we have that fight and that dog in us.”

Tale of Two Halves, Kind Of

Things were looking rough for Memphis early. The Tigers were down 28-10 at the end of the first quarter. For the next two quarters, Alex Simmons’ squad was arguably the better team.

Memphis won the second and third quarters 43-34. After being outrebounded 17-6 in the first quarter, the Tigers topped Vanderbilt 26-15 on the glass in that stretch.

“We weren’t surprised at all with the kind of tenacious defense and physicality they played with,” Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph said. “Alex is a great coach, and her team really competed. That can only help us because you can’t simulate that kind of toughness in practice.”

Unfortunately for the Tigers, the first and fourth quarters were part of the game. Vanderbilt exploded for 42 points in the final frame. The Commodores shot 68.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range in the fourth.

Three Point Woes for Tigers

The Tigers struggled from beyond the arc, failing to make a 3-pointer on 17 attempts. Tamya Smith led Memphis in scoring with 12 points. Jordan Hunter also tallied double figures with 10 points.