NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball rolled to a second-straight victory to open the 2024-25 season, as the Commodores collected a 93-37 win over Austin Peay Friday night at Memorial Gym.
Sophomore Khamil Pierre posted her second-consecutive double-double to begin her 2024-25 campaign, as she scored 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against the Governors. Pierre becomes the first Dore since Koi Love in 2020-21 to start a season with two-straight double-doubles. It was also Pierre’s sixth career double-double at Vandy.
The win moves Vanderbilt to 2-0 on the year, while Austin Peay falls to 0-2. It marks the second-straight season that the Dores have won the first two games of a season. The Commodores also improve to 26-5 against nonconference foes at Memorial Gym under head coach Shea Ralph. Vandy moved to 18-1 all-time against APSU, as the Dores have won 18-straight games against the Govs.
Pierre led a quartet of double-digit scorers for the Commodores in Friday’s victory. She was joined by senior Iyana Moore and freshman Mikayla Blakes, who each scored a game-high 16 points. Moore’s 16-point effort extended her double-digit scoring streak to nine games dating back to last season. Sophomore Madison Greene registered a team-best 13 points off the bench in a career-high 30 minutes of action. Greene and Moore each dished out a game-best three assists, while Blakes paced the Vandy with three steals.
Vanderbilt used a 24-0 run that started at the 1:46 mark of the second quarter and ended with 6:27 left to play in the third to put the Govs away for good. The Commodores scored the final 11 points of the second quarter, then registered the first 13 points of the third stanza.
Vanderbilt’s extended run turned a 15-point lead into a 39-point advantage for the Dores.
The Vandy defense locked up Austin Peay over the final two frames, as the Commodores allowed 11 points over the final 20 minutes of play. Vanderbilt held APSU to four points in the third quarter. That marks the lowest point total allowed by the Commodores in a stanza since last season’s contest at Butler, where Vandy held the Bulldogs to four second-quarter points.
The Dores shot 45.1 percent from the floor Friday while holding the Governors to a 28.8 field goal percentage. Vanderbilt scored 42 points in the paint and forced Austin Peay into 25 turnovers that turned into 33 points.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Win
“There is a lot that I am proud of today. Our effort really sticks out to me early in the season. The effort and energy, the positivity that we play with, how together we are, those are non-negotiable. Sometimes, you’re going to make every layup, and then, sometimes, you’re going to miss every layup. But our defense can never give up wide-open layups and threes. Credit to Austin Peay for exposing us a little bit in the first quarter. I feel like we have to go out and play from start to finish like we practice. I’m glad that happened in the first quarter, and I’m happy that we were able to turn it around.
“I also liked how many players contributed today. It’s really important this early in the season to know what you have on your team. I have a pretty good idea with our starting five top seven, but I thought some of the players that came in and played significant minutes off the bench today added a lot. That is a great thing for me to see this early in the season. We are going to get back to work tomorrow because now we play a couple of really tough games, one in particular on the road next week. I’m excited to see what we look like and how disciplined we really are playing in a tough environment against a very good team.”
How It Happened
The Commodores doubled up the Governors in the first quarter after an 8-0 run gave Vandy an early 8-4 advantage. Vanderbilt extended its lead out to double-digits late in the opening frame, as a 7-0 spurt by the Dores put them up 24-13 lead after a pair of free throws from Greene. Austin Peay nailed a 3-pointer at the end of the stanza to cut Vanderbilt’s lead to eight at 24-16 going into the second.
The Dores opened the second on a 13-2 run to take a commanding 19-point lead at 37-20 with 5:43 left before halftime. Moore was the key cog for the Commodores during the elongated run, as she scored nine points during the stretch. Vandy closed out the first half by scoring 11-straight points to take a 52-26 lead into the locker room.
Vanderbilt did not let up coming out of the break. The Commodores scored the first 13 points of the third quarter to extend their run to 24-0, giving Vanderbilt a 65-26 lead with 6:27 left to play in the frame.
The Dores maintained a 30-plus point advantage for the remainder of the contest against Austin Peay, as Vandy collected the 56-point victory.
Up Next
The Commodores take to the road for the first time this season Thursday, as Vanderbilt travels to Tampa Bay to take on South Florida. Tipoff against the Bulls is set for 6 p.m. and will stream live on ESPN+.
Dore Notes
- Sophomore Khamil Pierre registered the sixth double-double of her career, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds
- Pierre has tallied five-straight games in double-figure scoring, dating back to last season
- Pierre becomes the first Dore to post a double-double in the first two games of a season since Koi Love to open the 2020-21 season
- Pierre led the Commodores on the glass for the 10th time in her career with 10 caroms
- Iyanna Moore finished the night with 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, marking nine-straight games with 10-plus points
- Vandy posted 52 points in the first two quarters, marking the first time since the NCAA switched to quarters (2015-16) that the Dores have scored at least 50 points over two quarters in back-to-back games
- Graduate Leilani Kapinus made her Vanderbilt debut, posting seven points, six rebounds, two blocks, an assist, and a steal over 21 minutes of action
- Tonight’s victory marks Vanderbilt’s 18th consecutive win over Austin Peay
- Between the second quarter and the opening minutes of the third quarter, Vandy went on a 24-0 run to mark the largest run by the Dores this year. Vandy held the Governors scoreless for over five minutes and 11 seconds, spanning between the two quarters
- For the second straight season, Vandy opens the year with at least four scoring in double figures in back-to-back games
- Vanderbilt held Austin Peay to just 37 points, the least amount scored by an opponent since Butler last season (12/07/23)
- The Commodores made 10 steals in tonight’s win, the most since Vandy swiped 10 at Texas A&M last season (2/15/24)
- Vandy had eight blocked shots, the most in a single game since having five against Florida at the SEC Tournament last season
- The Dores grabbed 55 rebounds in tonight’s win, marking the second consecutive game with 50-plus off the glass. It is the first time in the Shea Ralph Era that the Dores accomplished the feat of grabbing 50-plus rebounds in back-to-back games
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