Women’s Basketball: No. 5 Vanderbilt upsets No. 4 Texas, 86-70, in the first top-5 matchup on West End since 1995 – The Vanderbilt Hustler

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No. 5 Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball handed No. 4 Texas Longhorns its largest loss since last year’s Final Four on Feb. 12 inside Memorial Gymnasium. The Commodores took down the Longhorns, 86-70, improving to 24-2 (10-2 SEC) on the season.
This contest marked the first time Memorial Gym has hosted a top-five matchup since 1995 and also featured Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda facing her former team. She spent three seasons with the Longhorns before transferring to Vanderbilt for her graduate year. 
Head coach Shea Ralph opted for the same starting lineup she has used all season: Aubrey Galvan, Justine Pissott, Mwenentanda, Sacha Washington and Mikayla Blakes. Blakes, who is currently leading the nation in points per game, scored 34 points. This was her fourth 30-point performance in a row. Galvan added 18, and Mwenentanda, Washington and Pissott added 11, 10 and 9, respectively.  
“Prove me wrong that [Blakes] is not the SEC Player of the Year and the National Player of the Year, and [Galvan] isn’t the Freshman of the Year,” Ralph said after the game. “They are, period, just based on their performance and what they mean to our team. Every single night they show up, and they do exactly what our team needs them to do to win, regardless of the narrative, regardless of the opponent, regardless of all the things that they can’t control.” 
Vanderbilt controlled the tip after Washington won it. Blakes drove immediately to the basket and was fouled, sinking both free throws. Texas’ Madison Booker responded with a layup. Pissott hit her first 3-pointer of the night at 6:36. Aalyah Del Rosario then checked in, replacing Washington for the first substitution of the game. 
At 4:50, Pissott added her second 3-pointer off a convincing shot fake, and Galvan followed with a three of her own, giving the Commodores a 9-point lead. Blakes then sliced through the Texas defense for a layup, beating the shot clock and prompting a Texas timeout, part of a 14-0 run across 3:15 of gameplay. 
After the timeout, Blakes picked up her first foul, and Booker completed a three-point play for Texas. Aalyah Del Rosario lost control of a dribble handoff, resulting in a tie-up that returned possession to Texas, who then turned it over. Galvan was fouled on the drive and made both free throws. Following two more Texas baskets, a Blakes layup and a Galvan floater, Galvan ran down the clock before finding Mwenentanda for a 3-pointer as the quarter ended, capping a 7-0 run. Vanderbilt led 27-15.  
Texas opened the quarter with two missed layups but grabbed both offensive rebounds, with Breya Cunningham converting on the third attempt. After back-to-back Galvan turnovers, the Longhorns challenged an out-of-bounds call and won, keeping possession. Booker scored on a layup following the timeout. 
Vanderbilt didn’t score until 6:31, but then went on a 7-0 run. Galvan hit a mid-range jumper off a sharp crossover, Pissott sank her third 3-pointer of the half and Blakes added a layup. After the media timeout, Texas ended the run with a Jordan Lee free throw and a jumper from Booker. 
Blakes hit a pull-up jumper at 3:44, followed by a layup from Ashton Judd and another Galvan layup. Blakes added a three-point play at 2:17 and an Aiyana Mitchell offensive rebound led to another Blakes layup shortly after. Mwenentanda scored over Booker, and Lee converted a layup. Vanderbilt finished the half with a Mitchell-Blakes pick-and-roll, ending with Mitchell’s layup. The Commodores led 47-30 at halftime. 
Off the bench, Del Rosario provided productive defensive minutes, contesting several of Texas’ inside looks, blocking one shot and grabbing two rebounds. The Commodores continued their hot shooting from Monday’s contest vs. Oklahoma. They averaged 62.1% from the field, 50.0% from 3-point range and 85.7% from the free throw line. The Longhorns shot 32.5% from the field and 33.3% from behind the arc.  
The Commodores picked up where they left off in the third quarter with an immediate Blakes 3-point basket. Galvan added a layup, and the Commodores then drew an offensive foul on Cunningham. Washington was fouled by Judd on a layup attempt and sank both free throws for her first two points of the contest.  
Harmon completed a three-point play at 7:47, but the Black and Gold answered with back-to-back layups from Washington off two crafty Galvan passes. Blakes nailed her second 3-point bucket, forcing a Texas timeout.  
The Longhorns’ Aaliyah Crump hit a 3-pointer out of the timeout. Blakes was then fouled on her layup attempt; she went 1-for-2 from the line. Booker drew a foul on Mwenentanda and also went 1-for-2 from the line. Texas exploited a mismatch of Blakes vs. Cunningham for a layup, but Washington answered on the other end. Mwenentanda forced back-to-back jump balls, giving Vanderbilt possession.  
The quarter ended with five more Blakes free throws, three Cunningham layups and two free throws from Aga Makurat (the only bench points of the contest). Cunningham fouled out with seven seconds left in the quarter, and Texas’ Bryanna Preston completed a 3-point play to end the half. Vanderbilt led by 18 to end the quarter, 70-52.  
Texas opened the fourth quarter scoring with a 6-0 run: back-to-back layups from Preston and a layup from Kyla Oldacre. Ralph took a timeout, and Galvan scored a 3-point bucket to beat the shot clock on the next possession. After two free throws from Crump, Blakes drew an offensive foul on Booker.  
Mwenentanda turned the ball over, but then drew an offensive foul on Oldacre. Vanderbilt and Texas then exchanged baskets, with buckets from Washington, Booker and Mwenentanda. Booker converted another jumper, shrinking Vanderbilt’s lead to 11.  
Texas appealed an out-of-bounds call and lost, also losing a timeout. The Commodores did not make a field goal for almost three minutes, until Blakes cashed in another 3-pointer at the 1:50 mark. Vanderbilt cruised to a comfortable victory, winning 86-70.   
“We have a winning culture. We have a championship culture in our locker room, in practice, on the bus, on the road — we have it,” Ralph said after the game. “And what that turns us into is a championship team, a championship-caliber team, because without that, you can’t get to where you need to go. I know that because I’ve been there.” 
Vanderbilt next takes on Georgia in Athens Sunday, Feb. 15 at 11 a.m. CST.
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