NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Sophomores Jordyn Cambridge (20 points) and Brinae Alexander (18) and freshman Koi Love (16) combined to score 54 points to lead Vanderbilt women’s basketball over visiting Jacksonville State, 88-66, on Tuesday inside Memorial Gymnasium.
In the season opener for both teams, Vanderbilt (1-0) withstood a 3-point barrage from the Gamecocks (0-1) in the second quarter before expanding a three-point halftime lead to 15 by the end of the third quarter. Vandy led by as many as 25 in the fourth quarter.
Love finished with a double-double in her collegiate-debut with 10 rebounds, while Autumn Newby pulled down 13 boards.
Coach White Quotables
On the opening win: “I’m proud of our crew. We’ve been battling and prepping and working hard. We’re gonna be challenged every game and we responded to that tonight.”
On Love’s debut double-double: “[Koi Love] is a very smooth, explosive player. She gives us a different dimension than we’ve had before.”
On the deep bench: “Having this depth is really important, and our young players are getting good experience, and really, it’s gonna pay dividends down the road.”
By the Numbers
The Commodores shot 51.5 percent from the floor as a team and outscored the Gamecocks 48-14 in the paint. Vandy also had 21 fastbreak points and held Jacksonville State scoreless for the first five minutes of the pivotal third quarter.
Vanderbilt also held a 49-31 rebounding advantage.
Commodore Notables
This was the first all-time meeting between the Gamecocks and Commodores … Cambridge’s 18 points set a new career high … Vanderbilt won its season-opener for the first time since 2016-17 … All five players that came off the bench for the Commodores were freshmen and combined for 28 points.
Up Next
Vanderbilt continues its five-game, season-opening home stand with a matchup against Radford at 7 p.m. Friday on SEC Network+. The Commodores then welcome Connecticut to Memorial Gym at 6 p.m. Nov. 13.
