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No. 5 Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball returned to action to face the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners in Memorial Gym on Monday, Feb. 9. The highly anticipated matchup went in the Commodores’ favor as they handily defeated the Sooners, 102-86, to improve to 23-2 on the season.
Vanderbilt came out of the gates hot in the first half, shooting a whopping 63% from the field and 47% from deep to take a 19-point lead through 20 minutes. Vanderbilt’s backcourt of Mikayla Blakes and Aubrey Galvan set a strong tone for the Commodores through the first half, combining for 40 points. Not much changed in the second half, as Vanderbilt kept up its rapid pace, eventually cruising to a 102-86 victory. Galvan and Blakes both hit the 30-point mark, with the former setting her season-high in points.
“She makes everybody’s life easier, and she’s one of the most valuable [people] on our team,” Blakes said of Galvan’s performance. “She just makes all of us better. She puts us in positions where we’re going to drive, and that’s really hard to do as a freshman. I haven’t seen any other freshman doing it like her.”
Head coach Shea Ralph opted to go with her usual starting lineup against the Sooners, starting Blakes, Galvan, Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, Justine Pissott and Sacha Washington.
“I’m really proud of them,” Ralph said after the victory. “I think what we’re trying to do here is just be relentless in our quest to improve. And so obviously the goal is to win, but I want us to be consistent in the work. [I want us] showing up every day and being diligent, so that we can put ourselves in position not only to win, but ultimately to be the best possible team we can be at the right time.”
First quarter
Vanderbilt lost the opening tip and immediately went down 3-0, as Payton Verhulst knocked in a deep 3-pointer to kick off the scoring. After this initial bucket, both teams exchanged several empty possessions, before Pissott finally hit a triple to even it up at 3-3 just two minutes into the game.
The Commodores did an exceptional job in the opening minutes of finding open looks, as four of Vanderbilt’s five starters had scored with six minutes to go in the quarter. Both Mwenentanda and Pissott nailed two more triples as the first media timeout of the quarter arrived at the 4:28 mark, with Vanderbilt firmly in front, 17-9.
The Commodores were hot as the quarter neared its end, making five of their last six field goals as the game approached the 3:00 minute mark. Aiyana Mitchell then picked up huge block on the defensive end, sending the contingent of Vanderbilt fans in Memorial into a frenzy. Galvan then hit three free throws to extend Vanderbilt’s lead to 24-13 at 2:20, a sizable lead over a very strong Oklahoma defense, which ranks No. 8 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Blakes knocked in a final layup before Verhulst knocked in a mid-range jumper to put the score at 31-19 in favor of the ‘Dores.
Second quarter
Galvan earned an and-one out of the break, cashing in the foul shot to extend Vanderbilt’s lead even further. Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers then committed a flagrant foul on Pissott, as Vanderbilt went to the line for two shots and held possession of the ball. Pissott made both free throws to extend Vanderbilt’s lead to 38-21 with 8:51 to go in the period.
Vanderbilt just couldn’t seem to miss in this quarter, as Galvan and Blakes cashed in back-to-back buckets to mount a 23-point lead, forcing Sooners head coach Jennie Baranczyk to take a timeout. Oklahoma was doing everything it could just to keep its head above water, with Aaliyah Chavez knocking in a deep 3-pointer. But it still wasn’t enough to keep up with the rapid scoring of the Commodores, who had racked up 20 points through seven minutes of the second quarter.
Blakes and Pissott hit consecutive triples to get the lead to 59-36 at the 1:45 mark. Beers and Chavez then hit buckets to end the half, but the Sooners were down 59-40 at the break.
It was an incredibly efficient half for the Commodores, who shot 63% from the field and 47% from deep. Blakes led the way with 23 points, with Galvan close behind with 17 of her own.
Third quarter
Beers opened up the scoring in the second half, cashing in a quick layup on the first possession. Both teams battled in the opening minutes to get an edge, before a Galvan triple pushed Vanderbilt’s lead to 69-46 at the 7:15 mark.
It felt like neither team could miss, as each scored multiple layups in the paint to rack up the point totals. As the second media timeout hit at 4:33, the Commodores had retained their 20-point lead at 74-54, well on pace to score double digits for just the third time this season.
Oklahoma’s Brooklyn Stewart then hit a big layup on the offensive end, before Blakes hit two free throws to get the lead to 22 points. Verhulst continued to find her spots on the offensive side, knocking in a jumper to make it 60-81 with 2:23 to go in the half. Blakes and Chavez exchanged layups as the quarter came to a close, with Vanderbilt leading 85-68.
Fourth quarter
Oklahoma came out of the gates hot in the fourth while Vanderbilt came out sluggish. The Commodores missed all five of their first field goal attempts, as the lead shrunk to 14 at 86-72.
It didn’t take long for Vanderbilt to get back on track, though, as Galvan hit a big 3-pointer at the 6:00 mark before getting fouled on her next shot, capping off an impressive five point run for the Commodores that saw their lead go back to 18 points. Two more made free throws by Washington put the lead back at 20 points, as Vanderbilt led 97-77 with 5:09 to go in the game.
The Commodores cruised the rest of the way, as Mwenentanda hit two free throws to break the 100-point mark for the Commodores. Blakes was then subbed out with a round of applause from the crowd after her stellar 34-point night, giving way to a few backups in the final 1:09 of the game. The Commodores eventually prevailed, 102-86, against a top 10 opponent at home — a massive boost to their NCAA Tournament resume.
Vanderbilt returns to action to face the No. 4 Texas Longhorns on Thursday, Feb. 12, in Memorial Gymnasium.
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