Jersey Tough – Vanderbilt Commodores

No. 5 Vanderbilt outlasts No. 7 Michigan, 72-69, in the 2026 Coretta Scott King Classic
NEWARK, N.J. – The No. 5-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team collected its second win over a top-10-ranked opponent of the season on Monday, as the Dores knocked off No. 7-ranked Michigan, 72-69, at the 2026 Coretta Scott King Classic at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Freshman Aubrey Galvan stole the show at the Coretta Scott King Classic, as the point guard scored a game-high 20 points. The Deerfield, Illinois, native’s 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter pushed a four-point Vanderbilt lead into a seven-point advantage with 3:03 left to play in the contest. The first-year guard sealed the victory for the Commodores with a clutch free throw with 2.5 seconds remaining that extended the Vandy lead to three. Galvan’s 20 points establish a new career-high in scoring for the freshman, while she dished out three assists and had a pair of steals in the win.
The victory pushes Vanderbilt’s school-record winning streak to 19 games to open the 2025-26 season. The 19-game winning streak is the second-longest active streak in NCAA Division I. Vandy has now collected multiple wins over top-10 ranked teams in a season for the first time since 2008-09, when the Commodores picked up four victories over top-10 teams.
A pair of Jersey girls played a huge role for the No. 5 Commodores in the three-point victory over the Wolverines. Senior Justine Pissott and sophomore Mikayla Blakes combined to score a combined 28 points in their homecoming, while both battled foul trouble throughout the contest.
Pissott tallied 14 points, pulled down a team-best eight rebounds and had a game-high five assists. The Toms River, New Jersey, native also hit a game-high four 3-point field goals against the Wolverines. Blakes had 14 points in the victory, as the Somerset, New Jersey, native extended her double-digit scoring streak to 38 games, which is the third-longest active streak in the nation.
The Commodores broke the game open in the second quarter, as Vandy started the stanza by scoring 10-straight points that turned a six-point advantage into a 16-point lead. Michigan pulled within single digits late in the second frame, but the Dores used an 11-2 run before the half to take a 17-point lead into the break.
Michigan once again cut the Vanderbilt lead to single digits late in the third quarter, as a 10-2 run by the Wolverines made it a 61-53 contest going into the final frame. Michigan scored eight of the first 10 points in the fourth quarter to make it a one-possession game at 63-61 with 4:45 remaining. With Vandy clinging to a four-point victory, Galvan sank a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Dores a 70-63 lead with 3:03 remaining in the contest.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Win
“This is a really big day for us, an opportunity to represent something bigger than us, an opportunity for women. We are so thrilled that we are invited to play in the Coretta Scott King Classic. I’m really proud of my team. I feel like a broken record after every game this year. You know, we are playing really good teams, night in and night out, and we are figuring out ways to win. When we haven’t played our best basketball yet. It’s January. We’re 19-0, and we’ve had different contributions from different people every single day, every single game. And today was no different. We played really well in the first half, our offense often stalled a little bit, and we had some defensive mishaps in the second half, but we figured out a way to win.
“When you’re a great team, you’ve got to do that. You’ve got to grind it out sometimes. I can tell you one thing, though, without Mikayla and Justine, the Jersey natives, there’s no way our program or our team this year would be in the position that it’s in. I’m grateful to be their coach. I’m so proud of my team today for the victory, and just happy to be part of this event.”
Up Next
The No. 5 Commodores jump back into SEC action on Thursday, as Vanderbilt returns to Memorial Gymnasium to host Auburn. Tipoff against the Tigers is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and streams live on SEC Network+.
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