NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Commodores closed the 2024 calendar year with a resounding 93-64 victory over Alabama A&M at Memorial Gymnasium to end the nonconference portion of the 2024-25 season.
The win over the Bulldogs marked Vanderbilt’s 20-straight home victory over a nonconference opponent, a streak that started during the 2022-23 season. The Commodores are now 33-3 against non-SEC teams at Memorial Gymnasium under head coach Shea Ralph.
The Commodores ended the nonconference portion of its schedule at 13-1 for the second-straight season. Vanderbilt heads into SEC play with a program record 13 wins for the second time in as many years. Additionally, the Dores have opened back-to-back campaigns at 13-1 or better for the first time in program history, as the 2023-24 team also opened at 16-1.
Sophomore Khamil Pierre extended her double-digit scoring streak to 16 games with a 29-point effort against the Bulldogs. Pierre’s streak is the longest for a Commodore since 2013-14, when Christina Foggie registered double-digit points in 19-straight games. Pierre’s 16-straight games with 10 or more points are tied for the seventh-longest double-digit scoring streak by a Dore since 1999-00. It is also Pierre’s ninth game with 20-plus points this season.
Senior Iyana Moore extended her season-long double-digit scoring streak to seven games with a 16-point effort. Moore added a season-best seven assists to her stat line vs. Alabama A&M. She was one of two Commodores to collect seven or more assists on Sunday, as graduate student Jordyn Oliver dished out a season-high eight assists.
Sophomore Madison Greene registered 12 points in a reserve role. It is Greene’s sixth game with 10 or more points off the bench this season, while it is her seventh double-digit scoring performance overall this year. Greene also added a career-high six rebounds in Sunday’s victory.
The Commodores shot 56.3 percent from the field against Alabama A&M. It is the sixth time this season that the Dores have posted a field goal percentage higher than 50 percent. Vanderbilt collected 13 steals, marking the fourth-straight game Vandy has posted 10 or more steals.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Win
“December has been a weird month with finals and then a long holiday break, so you don’t play many games. We practiced a lot, and I wanted them to go home and be with their families over the holidays. It can be hard to stay mentally and psychically ready this time of year, especially when you have a young team that hasn’t been to where we are trying to go as a program. This team should be better and do more than last season. My job every day is to balance, making sure I hold them accountable in all the best ways to help them stay confident but also show them where our blind spots are and what can come up and bite us if we aren’t careful. That is what is constantly on my mind with this team.
“Alabama A&M is very athletic and plays a very similar style that I think we’re going to see in the SEC, so playing them right before we go into league play was huge. There were parts of today’s game where we looked really good and parts that I was disappointed in. I was disappointed that I felt like our effort wasn’t there all the time. I have very high expectations, but the reason I have high expectations is because I know what it takes to win championships. I expect that this team will compete for a championship. The real work is about to begin. Most of that work is being mentally tough, being determined, and outworking every opponent we face. I’m excited to see that as we move into SEC play.”
How It Happened
The two teams traded blows over the first four minutes of the contest, as the game was tied at 11-all. Vanderbilt broke the tie with a 10-0 run to take a 21-11 lead at the 2:43 mark of the opening stanza. The Bulldogs went on a quick 5-0 spurt to cut the Commodore lead in half, but Vandy scored the final three points of the frame to take a 24-18 advantage into the second quarter.
Alabama A&M opened the second with back-to-back buckets to force Vanderbilt to call a timeout, clinging to a 24-20 lead. The Dores rolled off nine-straight points out of the timeout to reclaim a double-digit advantage at 33-20 after an old-fashioned 3-point play from Pierre with 5:57 left to play before halftime. Vanderbilt closed the frame on a 12-2 run to take a 45-27 lead into the locker room.
Vandy pushed its lead to 20 points midway through the third quarter, as a jumper from Moore put the Dores up 57-36. Vanderbilt’s lead grew to as many as 27 points in the third, as the Commodores held a 21-point advantage after three quarters.
The Bulldogs scored the first basket of the fourth to pull within 19 points of the Commodores, but Vanderbilt responded with eight-straight points to take a 75-48 lead. Vandy maintained a 20-plus lead advantage for the remainder of the contest, as the Commodores led by as many as 31 points before closing out nonconference play with a 29-point victory.
Up Next
The Commodores head into SEC action, as league play opens with a home contest vs. Georgia on Thursday. Tipoff against the Lady Bulldogs is set for 6:30 p.m., and streams live on SEC Network+.
Dore Notes
- Vanderbilt notched its 10th-straight win at Memorial Gymnasium dating back to the 2023-24 season
- The Dores move to 33-3 at home vs. nonconference teams under head coach Shea Ralph
- The Commodores have won 20-straight home games against nonconference teams, a streak that started during the 2022-23 campaign
- It is the first time in program history that Vandy had opened back-to-back seasons at 13-1
- The 13 nonconference wins tie the program record for most wins entering SEC play with the 2023-24 squad
- On defense, the Dores forced 12 Bulldog turnovers in the first half, marking the 22nd time this season Vandy has generated double-digit opponent turnovers in a half
- It is the first time all season the Dores have not forced 20 or more turnovers, falling one short of the mark
- Senior Iyana Moore scored 16 points, moving to No. 32 on the program’s all-time scoring list. Moore, who now has 1,071 career points, she passed Liz Sherwood (1,056 points) and Christa Reed (1,058 points) in the win over Alabama A&M
- Moore also contributed seven assists, tying her season-high
- Sophomore Khamil Pierre pushed her double-digit scoring streak to 16 games with a 29-point performance vs. Alabama A&M
- Pierre’s 16-game double-digit scoring streak is the longest by a Commodore since Christina Foggie’s 19-game run in 2013-14
- Pierre’s 16-straight games with 10 or more points are the seventh longest double-digit scoring streak by a Commodore since 1999-00
- Pierre has scored 20 or more points for the ninth time this season and for the 10th time in her collegiate career
- The sophomore’s double-double streak concluded Saturday, which is the second-longest run since 1999-00, tying her with Mariella Fasoula (2019-20)
- Sophomore Madison Greene scored double-digit points for the sixth time off the bench this season
- Greene has 10 or more points in two of the last three games
- The sophomore guard collected a career-high six rebounds
- Graduate Jordyn Oliver dished out a season-high eight assists; it is the ninth time in the last 13 games with three or more assists
Follow Us
For more information and exclusive content on the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team, follow @VandyWBB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X.
