NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team is off to its second-best start in program history, as the Commodores move to 15-1 on the year after picking up a thrilling 63-57 victory over Florida on Sunday in SEC action.
The Dores got stellar offensive performances from graduate student Jordyn Cambridge and junior Iyana Moore in the win over the Gators. Each player recorded a 20-point performance in Sunday’s victory, as Cambridge scored a game-high 24 points against UF, while Moore tallied 20 points. It’s the first time the duo has scored 20 or more points in the same contest in their respective collegiate careers.
The victory puts the Commodores at 15-1 overall this season. It is the second-best start in program history through the first 16 games. Only the 1992-93 Dores have had a better start to a season than the 2023-24 team, as the 1993 NCAA Final Four finalists opened that campaign with 16-straight wins en route to a 17-0 start.
The win over Florida gives Vanderbilt its first 2-0 start in SEC play since the 2012-13 season. It is the second-straight home win over the Gators for Vandy, which marks the first time in 13 seasons that the Dores have won back-to-back home games over UF. Vanderbilt also extends its winning streak to a season-high eight games.
Sunday’s game featured 13 lead changes and 10 ties. The Commodores shot 35.3% from the floor in the victory, while Vandy outrebounded the Gators, 39-34. Cambridge pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to pace the Dores, while junior Sacha Washington grabbed seven caroms.
Neither team would gain much separation in the first half, as Vanderbilt and Florida stayed within single-digit points of each other during the opening 20 minutes. The two squads went into halftime tied after sophomore Justine Pissott’s running jump shot knotted the game up 26-all right before the break.
The Commodores opened the third quarter on a 10-4 run to snap the tie, as a layup from Washington gave Vandy a 36-30 lead. Vanderbilt maintained its six-point advantage over the Gators for the next two minutes of gameplay, but Florida would respond with a 12-1 run to take a 45-40 lead with 15 seconds left in the third quarter. Moore brought UF’s run to an end with a pair of free throws in the closing seconds of the third to make it a one-possession game at 45-42 going into the fourth quarter.
Moore’s free throws at the end of the third sparked a personal 7-2 run that ran into the fourth quarter, as she gave Vanderbilt a 49-47 advantage after hitting a 3-pointer with 8:11 left in the game. In a back-and-forth finale, Cambridge put the Commodores up for good, as she hit a clutch 3-pointer from the wing to give Vanderbilt a 56-55 lead with 2:50 left to play.
Moore collected a steal on the ensuing UF possession, and Vanderbilt made it a 3-point contest at 58-55 after Cambridge sank a pair of charity tosses. Florida pulled within a point at 58-57 with 1:56 left to play, as the two teams traded defensive blows from there. Cambridge came up with another clutch steal with 35 seconds left in the game, then she went down to the opposite end of the court and hit two more free throws to extend Vanderbilt’s lead back out to three points at 60-57. The Commodores would go 4-of-5 from the free throw line over the final 15 seconds of play to secure the six-point win over the Gators.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Win
“When you get into this time of year, you understand that if you’re going to do something special, it’s going to be player-led. You need to have players out there that know what’s going on and can make adjustments in the moment. When you have a veteran tandem like Jordyn (Cambridge) and Iyana (Moore), then you know you’re going somewhere special. The last 14 seconds were huge for us in trusting our defense. Hopefully, that builds confidence within our team that we can trust our defense in big moments. We’re going in the right direction and we’re going to continue to learn and get better.”
Up Next
Vanderbilt heads back out on the road Thursday, as the Commodores travel to Lexington, Kentucky to take on Kentucky. Tipoff from Rupp Arena is set for 6 p.m. CT and will stream live on SEC Network+.
Dore Notes
- With its victory over Florida, Vanderbilt is now 15-1 to start the season
- It is the best start for the Commodores through 16 games since the 1992-93 campaign when the Dores were 17-0 to start the season.
- Sunday’s game was Vandy’s second-straight home win over Florida
- The Dores beat the then-No. 15 Gators 63-59 in Memorial Gymnasium during the 2022 season
- The last time Vanderbilt won two straight home games over Florida was during the 2009 and 2010 seasons
- Vanderbilt is a perfect 10-0 at home this season
- Jordyn Cambridge scored 24 points during Sunday’s game. She has posted double-digit scoring performances in 13 of 16 games this season.
- It’s Cambridge’s fourth game this season scoring at least 20 points.
- Cambridge picked up three steals and three assists in the win over the Gators. She has now recorded a steal in 70 consecutive games and at least one assist in 54 straight contests
- Iyana Moore extended her double-digit scoring streak to four games with 20 points scored versus the Gators.
- This is the first time in Moore’s career that she has scored at least 20 points in back-to-back games.
- Aga Makurat set a new career-high with three blocks against Florida.
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