NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team got off to a fast start against Arkansas on Thursday at Memorial Gymnasium, as the Commodores led wire-to-wire in a 101-60 win over the Razorbacks.
The Dores broke the century mark for the sixth time this season to set a program record for most games with 100-plus points. Meanwhile, the 41-point victory was Vanderbilt’s largest margin of victory vs. an SEC team in the Shea Ralph era, and it is the widest margin of victory vs. a conference opponent since a 92-41 win over Mississippi State on Jan. 3, 2013.
Vanderbilt was paced by five double-digit scorers, led by freshman Mikayla Blakes’ 24-point performance. Sophomore Khamil Pierre had a 20-point performance, while senior Iyana Moore tallied 18 points. Graduate student Jane Nwaba tallied a season-high 13 points and hit a season-high three 3-pointers, while sophomore Madison Greene contributed 10 points off the bench.
With the win, Vanderbilt improves to 16-4 overall, while the Dores are now an even 3-3 in SEC play. The loss drops Arkansas to 8-13 on the year and 1-5 in league play.
Blakes, the reign USBWA Tamika Catching National Freshman of the Week and the NCAA.com Player of the Week, registered her 12th game of the season with 20 or more points, which leads all freshmen nationally. The guard’s 24 points vs. Arkansas extends her double-digit scoring streak to six games. Additionally, Blakes scored 20-plus points for the fourth time over the course of her first six career SEC games.
Pierre’s 20-point performance against Arkansas pushed her double-digit scoring streak to 22 games. It is the longest streak by a Dore since Carla Thomas’ 29-game stretch during the 2006-07 campaign. The 6-2 forward nearly posted a double-double as she pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
It is the 11th time this season that Blakes and Pierre have scored 20-plus points in the same game. Their performance against Arkansas also marked the 12th time that both players scored 20 or more points in a game this season.
Vanderbilt collected 17 steals vs. the Razorbacks, marking the ninth game this season that the Dores have posted 15 or more steals in a game. Graduate Leilani Kapinus collected a game-high six steals, while Pierre added four of her own.
The Commodores shot 56.5 percent from the floor and matched their season high with 13 made 3-point field goals. Vandy held Arkansas to an even 40.0 percent field goal percentage. The Dores forced the Razorbacks into 26 turnovers, which led to a 40-13 edge in points off turnovers for Vandy.
How it Happened
Vanderbilt jumped to a 9-6 advantage midway through the first quarter. The Commodores used a 17-2 run over the next three-plus minutes to go up 26-8. Arkansas got the final basket of the stanza to give the Dores a 16-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Commodores grew its advantage to over 20 points in the opening stages of the second quarter, as Vanderbilt opened the frame with a 7-2 spurt to take 33-12 after a jumper from Nwaba. The Dores led by as many as 27 points in the quarter before taking a 53-27 advantage into halftime.
The Dores got off to a slow start in the third. Arkansas opened the frame on a 15-5 run to cut Vandy’s lead to 16 points at 58-42 at the 3:34 mark. Vanderbilt regrouped from that point, as the Commodores ended the third on a 14-5 spurt to extend their lead back out to 72-47 going into the night’s final frame.
Vandy’s lead continued to grow in the fourth, as the Dores led by as many as 45 points before posting a 41-point victory.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Win
“I want to give credit to our team for responding well coming off a highly emotional game at home. There are a bunch of different ways you can respond after big wins, but they’ve been locked in at practice, and the momentum has been harnessed in a positive way. Today we had a ton of contributions from many different players. I felt like there was no dip in the effort or energy when I was pulling people in and out of the game. That’s important as we move forward. It’s a long season, and there can be all kinds of things that can pop up. Knowing what you have and what you can depend on from our team is really important. I thought the players showed up. It was a great team win, and I’m proud of the effort they had.”
Up Next
The Commodores take to the road Sunday when Vanderbilt heads south to take on No. 19-ranked Alabama. Tipoff against the Crimson Tide is set for 1 p.m. and airs live on SEC Network.
Dore Notes
- It is the sixth time this season that the Commodores have scored 100-plus points, which sets the program’s single-game record for most games scoring 100 or more points in a season
- The last time Vanderbilt beat an SEC opponent by 40-plus points was on Jan. 3, 2013, in a 92-41 win over Mississippi State at Memorial Gym
- The 41-point spread is Vandy’s largest margin of victory over an SEC opponent in the Shea Ralph era
- The 26 points scored in the first quarter are tied for the most points Vandy has scored in an opening period in an SEC game this season (26 vs. Georgia – 01.02.25)
- Freshman Mikayla Blakes scored 24 points, her 12th game this season scoring 20-plus points and sixth-straight game in double figures
- Sophomore Khamil Pierre extended her double-digit scoring streak to 22 games, which is the fourth-longest scoring streak by a Dore since 1999-00
- Pierre scored 20-plus points in a game for the 12th time this season
- Senior Iyana Moore finished with 18 points to push her double-figure scoring streak to a career-long 13 games
- Senior Jane Nwaba’s 13 points scored is a season-high and is the third time this season she has scored 10-plus points
- Sophomore Madison Greene contributed 10 points off the bench, marking the eighth game she has scored double figures in a reserve role
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