Vanderbilt’s whole-team approach is paying out big — so far

Though LSU lost to Kentucky during their conference debut January 1, Vanderbilt entered Sunday’s game as one of a handful of undefeated teams remaining in women’s college basketball, and they exited it as one of only four. And though the team’s star guard Mikayla Blakes deserves the lion’s share of credit for the team’s 65-61 win over LSU, Vanderbilt’s emphasis on their entire team is what kept momentum going when they started to tire, and it’s what will keep them focused as they navigate a tricky and difficult conference schedule.

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Blakes, who scored 32 points against the Tigers and seemingly pulled a fourth-quarter ferocity of the sky to ensure the Commodores took home the win, was effusive in her praise for her freshmen teammates (like Aubrey Galvan, who relentlessly fought off MiLaysia Fulwiley and hit 14 points of her own, including a handful of clutch 3 pointers that sparked comparisons to Caitlin Clark on social media) after the game. “It’s really hard to stop every person on our team,” she told reporters. “And my job today, I think, is to give confidence, because I feel [that] last year when I played LSU, I hit the freshmen slump.”

With that in mind, Blakes added that she “didn’t want my freshmen to feel that — and my other teammates as well … so everybody on that court shouldn’t have feared anybody. We believe in each other to do what we can do.”

Pulling off upsets against a storied team like LSU, who notably won the NCAA Championship at the end of the 2022-23 season, is part of what drew her to the program. In fact, “I think that’s the main reason I came here. It’s a lot easier to go to, I think, top programs and just win, but I wanted to do the uncommon thing,” Blakes added. “I believe in my teammates, believe in my coaching staff, everybody here — and we have all the resources, so why not win here?”

The win was a “full team effort” Coach Ralph told reporters, and the Commodores pulled it off in part because so many fans showed up. “I love the students, love all the people that came out, love playing in a gym that loud — it made a difference, right? They made a difference.”

Fifth year Sacha Washington, who missed last season after suffering a blood clot, was also key. Washington has “been up here with us for five years, and been through [the program’s] ups and downs,” Ralph continued. Vanderbilt’s all-hands-on deck approach to the Tigers is “what we needed: every single person on our team made a huge impact on what we did.”

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Though the win was big, Washington was characteristically humble when considering what the Commodores need to focus on moving forward. “It is still the beginning of January, and there’s more left of the season,” she told reporters. “The result is what it is now, but every day that I’ve spent in this facility has just been straight work to get to where we want to be, to our goals.”

“I’m grateful,” Washington added. “I’m grateful for everybody that steps into our gym, [and for] everybody who wants to see us play. I’m just grateful to be here.”

The Vanderbilt Commodores will host Missouri on Thursday, January 8.