Dores Season Ends in the Sweet 16 – Vanderbilt University Athletics

No. 2-seed Vanderbilt falls to No. 6-seed Notre Dame, 67-64, in the Sweet 16 to bring the 2025-26 season to an end
FORT WORTH, Texas – Vanderbilt’s spectacular 2025-26 season came to an end on Friday afternoon in the Sweet 16, as the No. 2-seed Commodores fell to No. 6-seed Notre Dame, 67-64, at the Fort Worth Region 1 semifinals in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Vandy’s season concludes in the Sweet 16, as the Dores close the campaign with a 29-5 overall record. The Commodores advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 17 seasons, while the 29 wins are the third-most in a season in school history.  The 29 wins are one win shy of matching the program record of 30 victories set by the 1992-93 and 2001-02 teams.
The Commodores had a pair of 20-point performances against the Fighting Irish on Friday afternoon. Sophomore Mikayla Blakes tallied 26 points, while freshman Aubrey Galvan tallied 24 points. Blakes and Galvan are the first pair of Commodores to each have a 20-plus point performance in an NCAA Tournament game since 2009. They are the seventh pair of Vanderbilt teammates ever to register 20 or more points in the same March Madness contest.
Blakes set the SEC single-season scoring record on Sunday, as her 918 points broke Chamique Holdsclaw’s previous conference record of 915 points scored in the 1997-98 season. Additionally, Blakes’ 918 points scored this season set the NCAA record for most points scored by a sophomore.
Galvan established a new Vanderbilt freshman single-season steals record on Friday and also tied the program’s freshman season record for assists. The Deerfield, Illinois native ends her first season with the Dores with 89 steals and 193 assists. Her 193 assists match Ashley Smith’s freshman record set in 1997-98.
Vanderbilt had to overcome a 10-point deficit in the third quarter, as the Dores used a 19-9 run that spanned 7:04 minutes of game time to pull even with the Fighting Irish at 57-57 with 5:52 left in the game.
Blakes gave Vandy a 60-59 lead with a made free throw with 2:16 remaining in the contest, which put the Commodores up for the first time in the contest since the 6:51 mark of the first quarter. A brief 3-0 spurt by the Irish gave Notre Dame back a 64-62 advantage with 1:06 remaining.
Galvan’s pair of free throws knotted the contest back up at 64-all inside the final minute. Notre Dame went on to score three-straight points to take a 67-64 lead with 14 seconds left to play. Vanderbilt had a pair of chances to tie the game on its final possession, but neither 3-point attempt fell through the hoop, resulting in a three-point loss in the Sweet 16.
Junior Aiyana Mitchell matched her career-high in rebounding, as the 6-4 post pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.
Senior Justine Pissott ended the 2025-26 season with 95 made 3-pointers, which is tied for the most in a single season in school history. Pissott’s 95 3-pointers match Caroline Williams’ program record for most made 3-point field goals in a season, set back in 2005-06.
Senior Sacha Washington ends her career ranked fourth on the Vanderbilt career rebounds list with 972 rebounds, eighth on the school’s all-time blocks list with 133 and 22nd on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,344 career points scored. She was the only active SEC player this season to have over 1,300 points, 900 rebounds and 100 blocks in their career.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Result
“Congratulations to Notre Dame. I’m really proud of our team, and this obviously isn’t the way we wanted it to end. Most of the people outside of our circle didn’t think we would be here and didn’t think we would accomplish this. I know there were some questions about this roster going into the season. I think you’re seeing what’s possible when you believe in each other, when you work really hard, when you lay a foundation of a strong culture, and when you invest in women, as our leadership has done with us. This is just the beginning for our program and another step in the right direction. We lost the game today, but I think we’re winning in terms of the things we are doing right now. We are winning on and off the basketball court, and this is just the beginning. We will continue to compete for championships, we will continue to put ourselves in positions like today, and hopefully next time come away with a win and take the next step forward.”
Dore Notes
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