No. 13/11 Vanderbilt (11-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Texas Southern (3-7, 0-0 SWAC)
Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 • Noon CT
Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, Tenn. • SEC Network+ • Tickets
94.9 The Fan • Vanderbilt Athletics App • Live Stats • Game Program • Game Notes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – ‘Tis the season to celebrate, as the No. 13/11-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team looks to continue its best start in three decades, as the Commodores welcome in Texas Southern on Saturday for the annual Holiday Hoops Game at Memorial Gym. Tipoff against the Lady Tigers is set for noon CT and streams live on SEC Network+.
Starting Five
>> Vanderbilt enters Saturday’s game sporting a perfect record through the first 11 games of the 2025-26 season. It is the first time since the 1995-96 campaign that the Dores have begun a season at 11-0, as the 1995-96 squad won its first 14 contests.
>> The Dores are coming off a 64-35 victory over UAlbany on Thursday night at Memorial Gym. Sophomore Mikayla Blakes led a trio of double-digit scorers with a game-high 17 points. Freshman Aubrey Galvan tallied 15 points in the win, while junior Aiyana Mitchell scored a career-best 14 points off the bench.
>> The Commodores are seeking their first 12-0 start since the 1995-96 season. Vanderbilt has started a season at 12-0 only twice in school history, as the 1992-93 and 1995-95 teams accomplished the feat.
>> Thursday marks the fourth game of Vanderbilt’s month-long, five-game homestand. The Dores close out the homestand on Dec. 28 against Stonehill (2 p.m.). Fans can purchase tickets to any Vanderbilt women’s basketball game by clicking the link here.
>> Vandy and Texas Southern will match up on the hardwood for the second time ever. It is the first contest in over 32 years between Vanderbilt and the Lady Tigers. The Dores won the lone game between the two, capturing a 103-44 victory over the Lady Tigers in Memorial Gym on Dec. 7, 1993.
Game Coverage
Saturday’s contest airs live at noon CT on SEC Network+, with Andrew Allegretta and Drew Maddux on the call. Fans can listen to Jake Lyman locally on 94.9 The Fan and the Vanderbilt Commodores app outside of Nashville.
National Rankings
The Commodores came in at No. 13 in the Associated Press top 25 and No. 11 in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches poll this week. It marks the program’s highest ranking in either poll since the 2012-13 season.
It is Vanderbilt’s highest ranking in the AP top 25 since Week 2 of the 2012-13 season, when the Dores were also ranked 13th.
Vandy’s No. 11 ranking in this week’s USA Today/WBCA poll is the program’s highest placement in the coaches’ poll since 2008-09, when the Commodores ended the season at No. 8 in the nation.
NET Ranking
Vanderbilt holds a NET ranking of 15 heading into Thursday’s contest. The Dores came in at No. 12 in the first NET rankings of the 2025-26 season. Vandy has collected two Quad 2 and three Quad 3 wins through the first 11 contests this season. The NET is an evaluation tool used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine seeding and bids.
Taking Care of Business at Home
The Dores have won 26-straight nonconference home games dating back to the 2022-23 season. Vanderbilt is 39-3 inside Memorial Gym against non-league teams under head coach Shea Ralph. Overall, Vandy is 53-21 at home under Ralph’s direction.
Undefeated
Vanderbilt has won all 11 of its games coming into Saturday’s contest against Texas Southern. The Commodores are one of 12 undefeated teams left in NCAA Division I this season, while they are one of five unbeaten SEC teams.
Nonconference Domination
The Commodores are 60-19 against nonconference foes in the Ralph era. Vanderbilt has won 17 consecutive regular-season games against non-SEC teams heading into Saturday.
Hot Starts
A total of five Vandy upperclassmen are off to career-best starts to open the 2025-26 campaign. Senior Justine Pissott (10.2 ppg), junior Aiyana Mitchell (8.1 ppg), graduate Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda (7.9 ppg), senior Jada Brown (4.1 ppg) and junior Aga Makurat (4.2 ppg) are all posting career-high scoring averages through the first 11 games of the season.
One of the Nation’s Best Scorers
Sophomore Mikayla Blakes heads into the Saturday ranking fifth nationally in scoring at 24.3 points per game, which also ranks as the second-best scoring average in the SEC this season. The 5-8 guard has scored 25-plus points in six games this season.
Blakes’ current 30-game double-digit scoring streak is the fourth-longest active streak in NCAA Division I and the longest active in the SEC.
Tall Dores
Vanderbilt has eight players who are 6-2 or taller on its 2025-25 season, with the tallest player being 6-6 center Aalyah Del Rosario. The 2025-26 Commodores hold an average height of 6-1, a growth spurt of four inches compared to their team average height of 5-10 from a season ago.
The increase in height on the roster has allowed the Dores to rank 21st in the NCAA in blocks per game at 5.5. Junior Aiyana Mitchell is seventh in the SEC in blocks per game at 1.7, which also ranks 47th in all of NCAA Division I.
Scouting the Lady Tigers
Texas Southern holds a 3-7 record and a NET of 317 coming into Memorial Gym. The Lady Tigers’ contest at Vanderbilt concludes a seven-game road trip, as TSU is looking for its first win on the extended excursion. Texas Southern is under the direction of fourth-year Vernette Skeete, who is 29-72 all-time at the school.
Senior Daeja Holmes leads a trio of double-digit scorers for Texas Southern at 11.9 points per game. Junior Aaliyah Henderson puts up 11.2 points per game and sophomore Taliyah Logwood is chipping in 10.9 points per contest.
The Lady Tigers are averaging 66.4 points per game and give up 78.9 points. Texas Southern is shooting 39.7 percent from the floor and 42.3 percent from behind the arc. Defensively, the TSU allows opponents to shoot 42.3 percent from the field and 27.8 percent beyond the 3-point line.
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