NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team dropped its first SEC contest of the 2024-25 season Sunday afternoon, as the Commodores fell 96-78 to No. 16-ranked Kentucky at Memorial Gym.
Freshman Mikayla Blakes led the way for the Dores with a game-high 24 points. The guard recorded her 10th contest with 20 or more points this season, the most collected by a Vanderbilt freshman in program history. The Somerset, New Jersey, native hit three 3-point field goals and collected a team-best three steals against the Wildcats.
Sophomore Khamil Pierre posted a double-double for the 11th time this season, as the forward scored 19 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Pierre matched her career high in assists with five. The forward’s 19 points extend her double-digit scoring streak to 18 games. It is the sixth-longest double-figure scoring streak by a Commodore since 1999-00.
Senior Iyana Moore registered a season-high 17 points for the second time this season, which she first accomplished vs. Michigan State on Nov. 27. The guard drilled a team-best five 3-point field goals. Graduate Jordyn Oliver nearly pulled down double-digit rebounds for the second-straight contest with nine caroms on Sunday.
The loss snaps Vandy’s 11-game home winning streak dating back to last season. The Commodores fall to 14-2 overall on the year and now stand at 1-1 in SEC play.
The Dores couldn’t overcome a hot-shooting Wildcat team, as Kentucky posted a 54.1 percent success rate from the floor and hit 15 3-pointers. Vanderbilt shot 36.5 percent from the floor and forced double-digit turnovers for the 16th-straight game. Despite being outrebounded 41-39 overall, the Commodores were able to post a 19-9 edge over Kentucky on the offensive glass, which led to a 26-9 advantage in second change points for the Dores.
How It Happened
The Commodores got off to a slow start, as Kentucky hit five 3-pointers over the first five-plus minutes of the contest to take a 22-9 advantage and force Vanderbilt to call a timeout. The Dores trailed by as many as 17 points in the first quarter before going into the second stanza facing a 31-17 deficit.
Kentucky hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push its lead to 37-17 to begin the second. The Commodores punched back, as a late 11-6 spurt pulled them within 13 points at 51-38 going into halftime.
Vanderbilt hit a trio of 3-pointers to spark an 11-3 run to open the third quarter, which pulled the Dores within five points at 54-49 less than four minutes into the stanza. Kentucky pushed its lead back out to double-digits, as a 9-0 spurt gave the Wildcats a 14-point advantage at 63-49 with 4:07 left in the frame. UK maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the third, as the Commodores trailed 70-57 heading into the fourth quarter.
An old-fashioned 3-point play from Oliver pulled the Dores to within 10 points of the Wildcats to begin the fourth stanza. That would be as close as Vanderbilt would get to Kentucky in the game’s final frame, as the Commodores were handed an 18-point loss.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Result
“I think that Kentucky was clearly the better team today. We have a lot of work to do to improve so we can be more competitive. I don’t know if it is anything they did, more so how we came out and opened the game. The things that I concern myself with after wins came back and bit us today, especially in that first quarter. They didn’t miss any open shots. This has happened before, where we have periods in games where we have a lack of consistency from the defensive end or just a lack of energy, and we give up open shots.
“When we decided to lock in and play more like ourselves, then it was pretty even. We were not able to match their intensity from start to finish. I’m disappointed because I think we’re a much better team than we showed today. I think there is a lot of self-reflection that our team needs to have. We need to do some things differently preparation-wise, which is my job. I think this was just a day where the things that I’ve been preaching about came back and bit us from start to finish.”
Up Next
The Commodores hit the road to play their first two SEC away games of the 2024-25 season. The road trip includes stops against top-25 teams, as Vanderbilt opens at No. 25/25 Ole Miss on Thursday. Tipoff against the Rebels is set for 6:30 p.m., and streams live on SEC Network+.
Dore Notes
- Vanderbilt’s 11-game home win streak comes to an end
- The Dores fall to 43-18 all-time at Memorial Gym against the Wildcats and are now 3-2 vs. UK head coach Shea Ralph
- The Commodores forced double-digit turnovers for the 16th-straight game
- Vandy is now 22-6 at home over the past two seasons
- Sophomore Khamil Pierre finished with 19 points to push her double-digit scoring streak to 18 games, which is the sixth-longest double-digit scoring streak by a Dore since 1999-2000
- The sophomore paced the Dores on the glass with 11 rebounds while also adding five assists
- Pierre collects her 11th double-double of the season, which is third-best in all of NCAA Division I
- Freshman Mikayla Blakes led the team in scoring for the sixth time this season, dropping 24 points
- The freshman added five rebounds, three steals, and a block to go along with her 24 points
- It is Blakes’ 10th game this season with 20 points or more, the most collected by a Vandy freshman since 1999-00, while it is her 15th game this season scoring double digits
- Senior Iyanna Moore extended her double-digit scoring streak to nine games with a 17-point performance
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