CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 19-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team fought off a pesky Austin Peay squad on Wednesday night at F&M Bank Arena, as the Commodores picked up a 75-65 victory on the road.
Though the Commodores never trailed in the game, they still had to fend off a feisty Austin Peay team that forced Vanderbilt into 20 turnovers on the night. The Dores had four players score double figures, while Vanderbilt held a 40-28 edge in rebounding to overcome its miscues. The Commodores pulled down 15 offensive boards on Wednesday, which led to 14 second-chance points. Vanderbilt shot 47.3 percent against Austin Peay, while limiting the Govs to 39.3 percent from the floor.
Sophomore Mikayla Blakes recorded her second 20-plus point performance of the season, as the guard registered a game-high 26 points in the victory. Her offensive performance against the Governors extends her double-digit scoring streak to 22 games, while she records 25-plus points in a game for the 12th time at Vanderbilt.
Freshman Aubrey Galvan tallied double-digit points in back-to-back games for the first time in her collegiate career, as the Deerfield, Illinois, native scored 18 points and dished out three assists.
Graduate Sacha Washington recorded her first double-double of the 2025-26 campaign with a 10-point, 10-rebound effort against the Govs. It is the 23rd career double-double for Washington, while it is her first since March 20, 2024, after missing last season due to a medical condition.
Junior Aiyana Mitchell tallied double-digits off the bench for the third consecutive game, as the 6-4 forward collected 10 points and pulled down nine rebounds.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Win
“I think we’re still trying to figure some things out. Austin Peay was similar to Memphis in the exhibition, in that they exposed us a little bit defensively. But I liked that early in the season. I like seeing that kind of team play the way that they did. They made a bunch of shots that I don’t know, we were expecting them to make. We knew they could beat us off the dribble, and they did that. I like that we grinded it out and we got some contributions from people off the bench. I think those are good things to happen early in the season, even though I hate ugly games. I know that they provide great learning opportunities. And we’ve had a couple now that I think are really good for us, especially moving into this kind of gauntlet that we have coming next week.
“I will say, again, turning the ball over as much as we did is disappointing. I think we just got a little bit out of sorts, but those are things that we can work on, and it’s better to know that now. I thought Aiyana and Jada came in and gave great minutes off the bench. I thought Mikayla was Mikayla tonight, and the last thing I’ll say, honestly, our free throw shooting has been abysmal the last couple of games. We need to make our free throws and take care of the ball, but we didn’t do either one of those. I wasn’t happy with our defensive effort, but we still won a game on the road against a good team.”
Up Next
Vanderbilt continues its brief two-game road trip next Wednesday, as the Commodores head north on I-65 to take on Western Kentucky. Tipoff from E.A. Diddle Arena is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and streams live on ESPN+.
Dores Notes
- Vanderbilt opens a season with three-straight wins for the fourth consecutive season
- It marks the first time the Dores have begun four-straight seasons with a 3-0 record for the first time since a stretch between the 2011-12 and 2014-15 seasons
- The Dores improve to 19-1 all-time against Austin Peay, as Vanderbilt has now won 18-straight games against the Governors
- The Commodores are now 52-19 against non-conference foes in the Ralph era
- Vanderbilt has won five-straight true road games against non-SEC teams dating back to the 2023-24 season
- The Dores improve to 126-46 all-time against non-SEC schools from the Volunteer State
- Sophomore Mikayla Blakes extends her double-digit scoring streak to 22 games dating back to last season with a 26-point performance at Austin Peay
- It is Blakes’ 23rd career game at Vanderbilt with 20-plus points, while it is the 12th time she has registered 20 or more points in a game at Vanderbilt
Freshman Aubrey Galvan’s career-high 18-point effort gives her back-to-back double-digit performances for the first time in her collegiate career - Graduate Sacha Washington collected her 23rd career double-double with 10-point, 10-rebound effort
- It is Washington’s 51st game with 10-plus points at Vanderbilt, while it is the 25th time she has registered double-figure rebounds in a game
- Junior Aiyana Mitchell collected her third-straight double-digit scoring performance off the bench on Wednesday with a 10-point, 9-rebound effort against Austin Peay
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