NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to four games on Wednesday, as the Commodores collected a 70-53 victory over Dayton inside Memorial Gymnasium.
Vandy got a double-double performance from graduate student Jordyn Cambridge and junior Sacha Washington, while sophomore Justine Pissott drilled a career-best five 3-pointers in the victory over the Flyers. Vanderbilt shot a season-best 48.1% from the field and an even more impressive 56.3% from behind the arc.
With the win, Vanderbilt improves to 11-1 overall on the year. It is the Commodores’ best start to a season season the 2011-12 campaign.
It is the second time this season that Cambridge and Washington have each recorded a double-double in the same game, as the last time came back on Nov. 9 in the victory at UT Martin back. Cambridge scored a team-high 22 points against the Flyers and pulled down 10 rebounds to record her second-consecutive double-double and her fifth overall this season. Cambridge’s 22 points against Dayton come off the heels of her 23-point effort against Lipscomb, marking the first time in her career that she has scored 20 or more points in back-to-back games. The Nashville, Tennessee, native added five steals to her ledger, as she moved into third on Vanderbilt’s all-time steals list with 287 career steals.
Meanwhile, Washington added a team-high 15 rebounds and scored 11 points to post also post her fifth double-double of the 2023-24 campaign. The 6-2 forward also added a career-best six blocks to her stat line against the Flyers.
The Commodores drained nine 3-point field goals in the victory over Dayton. Pissott led the charge from behind the arc for Vanderbilt, as she drilled a career-best five 3-point field goals en route to a career-high 17-point performance. Graduate student Jordyn Oliver rounded out Vandy’s quartet of double-digit scorers on the day with an 11-point performance against the Flyers.
The two teams traded blows in the opening quarter. After Vanderbilt opened the game on an 8-2 run, Dayton was able to pull within a point of the Commodores after a 3-pointer made it an 8-7 game midway through the frame. The Dores pushed their lead back out to seven after a 3-pointer from Cambridge made it 17-10 with two minutes left in the stanza. Dayton closed out the first on a 7-0 run of its own to knot the game up at 17-17 after 10 minutes of play.
Vanderbilt broke the tie to begin the second quarter, using a 12-2 run to take a 29-19 lead. Pissott went a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the arc in the second quarter, as she scored a total of 14 points in the frame. The sophomore from Toms River, New Jersey, drilled her fourth 3-pointer of the quarter right before the halftime buzzer sounded to give Vanderbilt a 42-26 lead going into the locker room.
The Commodores continued to extend their lead in the opening stages of the third quarter. Vanderbilt took a game-high 19-point lead after graduate senior Jordyn Oliver converted an old-fashioned 3-point play with 7:16 left in the third. Freshman Khamil Pierre’s layup at 4:18 would give the Dores a 51-34 point lead with 4:18 on the clock. That would be the final made field goal of the stanza for Vanderbilt, as Dayton would go on a 7-0 run to close out the third and cut the Vandy deficit to 10 points at 51-41 going into the game’s final quarter.
Dayton made it a one-possession game by opening the fourth with a jumper that cut Vanderbilt’s lead to 51-43. Cambridge responded with a 3-pointer on the next possession to extend the Commodores’ lead back out to double-digits. Vanderbilt maintained a double-figure advantage over the Flyers for the remainder of the contest, as the Dores walked away with a 17-point victory.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Win
“Happy for our team to go into the holiday break with a win. I’m really glad this game came when it did because when we get into SEC play rebounding is going to be a big point of emphasis for us. We’re still not as big as we liked to be, but we have some size and we have to be very intentional (on the glass) while making sure we box out. Today was a good start with that. I’m also proud of Justine for contributing the way that she did. It was great to see her make shots because she is our best shooter. Jordyn (Cambridge) also had a great game. She is one of those players that her presence just makes us better. Just having her on the court elevates everyone else on our team.”
Up Next
Vanderbilt will now take the next few days off to spend time with family over the holidays. The Commodores return to action on Dec. 29 to take on Fairleigh Dickinson. Tipoff from Memorial Gymnasium is set for 6:30 p.m. and will stream live on SEC Network+.
Dore Notes
- Vanderbilt’s 70-53 win over Dayton moves its overall record to 11-1. It is the Commodores’ best start to a season since the 2011-12 campaign when they were 12-1 through 13 games.
- Vandy is unbeaten through seven home games this season, with each win coming against a nonconference foe. The Dores have won nine-straight home games versus nonconference opponents dating back to last season.
- With this victory, the Commodores snapped a two-game losing streak to the Flyers. Vandy now leads the all-time series 6-3.
- Jordyn Cambridge led Vanderbilt’s scoring with 22 points. This is the first time in her career that she has scored 20+ points in back-to-back games. She tallied 23 points during Sunday’s win over Lipscomb.
- Cambridge also grabbed 10 rebounds to collect her fourth double-double of the season and ninth of her career.
- For the second time as a Commodore, Jordyn Oliver posted a double-digit scoring performance with 11 points against the Flyers.
- Justine Pissott recorded career-highs in three categories during Wednesday’s win over Dayton. She scored 17 points and made six field goals and five three-point shots.
- Pissott was a perfect five-for-five from three during the first half. She is the third Commodore to make at least five three-point shots this season (Cambridge, Aga Makurat)
- Sacha Washington totaled 11 points and 15 rebounds in the win over the Flyers, her fourth double-double of the season. She recorded a career-high with six blocks against Dayton.
- Four Vanderbilt players were in the double figures Wednesday. This is the fourth time this season that four Commodores scored 10-plus points.
- The victory now puts head coach Shea Ralph at an even 39-39 all-time at Vanderbilt.
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