BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The SEC announced Tuesday that Vanderbilt women’s basketball sophomore Khamil Pierre has been named SEC Player of the Week for the second time this season.
Pierre averaged an SEC-best 42.0 points, 18.0 points, and 8.0 steals this week, as Pierre set the Vanderbilt women’s basketball single-game scoring record with a 42-point performance against Evansville in a 106-40 win on Dec. 16.
It is Pierre’s second SEC Player of the Week selection of her career, as she previously earned the distinction on Nov. 26 of this season. She is the first player since Ciaja Harbison in 2022-23 to be named SEC Player of the Week multiple times in a season. Pierre also becomes the fifth Commodore to earn multiple SEC Player of the Week honors. Overall, it is Pierre’s seventh SEC weekly honor, as she was named SEC Freshman of the Week a program-record five times during the 2023-24 campaign.
The sophomore put on one of the most memorable performances in Vanderbilt women’s basketball history, as she registered 42 points, 18 rebounds, and eight steals in the win over the Purple Aces. Her 42-point performance set a new program record for most points scored in a single game, passing the previous mark of 41 points shared by Chantelle Anderson (Feb. 8, 2001) and Ciaja Harbison (Jan. 29, 2023).
The Phoenix, Arizona, native also achieved one of the rarest feats in collegiate basketball, as she outscored Evansville by herself, 42-40. Her 42 points are the most scored by an NCAA Division I player this season, while it is tied for the most points scored in a game by an SEC player since the 2020-21 season.
The 42 points, 18 rebounds, and eight steals against Evansville establish new career highs for Pierre in each category. Pierre’s combined 60 points and rebounds are the most collected by a Vanderbilt women’s basketball player in a game in program history. Her 42-point performance last Saturday also extended her career-long double-digit scoring streak to 13 games dating back to last season. Pierre also collected her eighth double-double of the season, which is tied for the sixth-most in a season since 1999-00.
The 6-2 forward started her day with a bang against the Purple Aces, scoring 20 points in the first quarter. Pierre’s performance in the opening frame on Saturday marked the most points scored by a Commodore in the first quarter in program history. Additionally, Pierre ties Marnelle Garraud’s program record for most points scored in any quarter, which was set on Jan. 16, 2023, in the fourth quarter at Arkansas.
Her 19 made field goals tie the program record for more field goals made in a game in Vanderbilt history, tying Anderson’s 19 made field goals in her 40-point performance vs. Portland State. The 19 made field goals are also the sixth-most in SEC history.
Pierre’s eight steals against Evansville are tied for the sixth-most steals in a game in program history. Her 18 rebounds are tied for the 16th-most rebounds grabbed in a game by a Commodore in school history.
Additionally, Pierre is the fifth NCAA Division I women’s basketball player since 1999-00 to have a game stat line of 40-plus points, 15-plus rebounds, and 5-plus steals, and she is the first player to accomplish the feat since the 2013-14 season. Pierre is the fifth Commodore since 1999-00 to have a game with 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds.
The sophomore currently leads Vanderbilt in scoring (22.9 ppg), rebounds (11.8 rpg), and steals (4.0 spg). Pierre is the only player nationally to rank in the top five in all three categories, as she ranks third in rebounds and steals per game, while her 22.9 points per game average is fifth-best throughout NCAA Division I.
The Vanderbilt women’s takes to the road on Thursday for the final time in 2024 as the Commodores head north to take on Dayton. Tipoff against the Flyers is set for 6 p.m. CT and streams live on ESPN+.
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