NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 17-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team pushed its season-opening winning streak to five games, as the Commodores collected a 92-38 victory over Alabama State on Friday afternoon.
The Commodores used a balanced offensive attack to outpace the Lady Hornets, as 10 of the 11 Vandy players who played scored in Friday’s victory. Vandy led from beginning to end in the victory. The Dores led by as many as 58 points before securing the 54-point win.
Vanderbilt improves to 5-0 overall on the year, as the Commodores have now opened five-straight seasons at 5-0 for the first time in program history.
Junior Aga Makurat registered a career-high 21 points on Friday, as the guard recorded her first 20-point performance as a Commodore. Makurat shot 53.3 percent from the field, going 8-of-15, while she drilled five 3-point field goals to match her career-best performance from behind the arc.
Makurat was one of five Commodores to score double figures in the win over Alabama State. Sophomore Mikayla Blakes registered 19 points to extend her double-digit scoring streak to a career high 24 games. Graduate Sacha Washington and freshman Ava Black tallied 11 points each, as Black set a new career high in points. Junior Aiyana Mitchell rounded out the group with a 10-point effort.
The Commodores scored a season high 50 points off the bench, led by Makurat’s 21 points. It is the first time since a 106-55 win at Tennessee State on Nov. 25, 2019, that Vandy has scored 50-plus points off the bench. Vanderbilt also forced ASU into 25 turnovers, which led to a 38-4 edge in points off turnovers.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Win
“We have three games this week, and then we’re leaving on Monday to play two big games in the Virgin Islands. So, this is a very important week for us. Not only to get work done, but also to make sure that we fine-tune everything we need as we continue to move through our season. Today was a great opportunity. I have a lot of respect for Alabama State’s coach. I was really proud of my team today. Thought we had multiple contributions, just essentially from the entire team. Aga and Aiyana, in particular, had really good games, but it just gave us an opportunity to see what some different lineups could look like. while taking care of business at the same time.”
Up Next
No. 17-ranked Vanderbilt hosts Tennessee State to conclude its brief two-game weekend homestand. Tipoff against the Tigers is set for noon and streams live on SEC Network+.
Dore Notes
- Vanderbilt’s 54-point margin of victory is the most since the 94-40 win over Appalachian State (12/1/24)
- The Commodores have had at least three double-digit scorers in every game this season and have had four or more in each of the last four games
- Vandy finished with 38 points off turnovers, the second straight game with 25 or more
- The Dores have won 22-straight non-conference home games dating back to the 2022-23 season
- Vanderbilt is riding a 10-game winning streak against non-SEC teams in the regular season
- Vanderbilt set season-highs for first quarter (24), second quarter (26), and first half points (50)
- Vandy has scored at least 24 points in one quarter of every game this season
- The Dores have posted 24 or more points in five consecutive third quarters
- Vanderbilt is 5-0 for the fifth straight season, the longest such streak in program history
- 10 different Commodores scored in the win
- Vandy’s bench registered 50 points, the most this season
- Aga Makurat scored a career-high 21 points, her first double-digit performance since scoring 10 points vs. Appalachian State last season
- Ava Black posted a career-best 11 points, her first double-digit game
- Mikayla Blakes finished with 19 points, her 24th consecutive double-digit performance
- Blakes has scored 15 or more points in all five games this season
- Sacha Washington has reached double figures in three straight games
- Aubrey Galvan totaled eight assists to match her career high
- Galvan has recorded seven or more assists four times in the first five games of her career
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