NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 5/5-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team capped off the 2025-26 regular season home slate by setting a pair of school records in an 85-60 win over No. 24/23 Alabama on Thursday night.
The victory over the Crimson Tide marks Vandy’s 12th SEC victory of the 2025-26 campaign to establish a new program record for most conference wins in a season. The 15-point victory also gives Vanderbilt its first undefeated record at home during the regular season, as the Dores improve to 16-0 at Memorial Gymnasium.
With the win, Vandy improves to 26-3 overall and 12-3 in SEC play. The Commodores’ 26 wins are tied for sixth-most in a single season in school history, equaling the 2003-04 and 2008-09 squads’ win totals. The victory also secures no worse than the No. 3 seed at next week’s SEC Tournament.
The Commodores collected their seventh victory over a top-25 team this season. It marks the first time since the 2000-01 campaign that the Dores have had seven victories over ranked foes in the same season. It is also the first regular season since 1994-95 that the Commodores have had 7-plus victories over ranked opponents, as they beat 10 that season.
Vanderbilt’s All-American Mikayla Blakes extended her 30-point streak against ranked teams to five games, as the sophomore had 35 points against the Crimson Tide. The guard matched her season-best performance from behind the arc, going 6-of-13. Blakes is just the second NCAA player this century to have five-straight games with 30 or more points against top-25 foes, as she joins Iowa’s Megan Gustafson, who had a six-game streak during the 2018-19 campaign. The Vandy All-American is the first player this century to accomplish the feat in the regular season.
Overall, it is Blakes’ NCAA-leading 11th game with 30-plus points this season. The Somerset, New Jersey, native is the first SEC player this century to score 30 or more points 11 times in the same season.
Vandy had three or more players score double digits for the 26th time in 29 games this season, as graduate Sacha Washington and senior Justine Pissott joined Blakes.
Washington nearly had her first career triple-double with a 17-point, 10-rebound, 7-assist night against the Crimson Tide. Her seven assists tied Washington’s career high, while she also recorded her team-leading sixth double-double of the season. Pissott, the SEC’s leader in made 3-point field goals, added a pair of 3-pointers to her season total, as she registered 11 points and pulled down six rebounds.
Vanderbilt used a 10-run to turn a two-point lead into a double-digit advantage at 28-16 at the end of the first stanza. Vandy held a 36-32 lead at the half, then broke the game open in the third quarter by scoring the frame’s first 12 points to take a 16-point lead. The Commodore lead grew to as high as 27 points in the fourth quarter before claiming the 85-60 victory.
The Dores shot 42.9 percent from the floor, while limiting Alabama to 32.8 percent. Vanderbilt forced the Crimson Tide into 23 turnovers, which led to a 22-10 edge in points off turnovers.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Result
“It’s so special to be coaching this team and witnessing all the things that they’re doing, walking alongside them on the journey. It’s my understanding that it’s the first time in program history that we went undefeated at home in the regular season. We came here to do things that haven’t been done before. We’re just getting started. We were excited to have Commodore Nation show up for us tonight. We can’t do it without them. To see the crowd, to hear the crowd, to feel the energy, we’ve been working towards this, dreaming towards this, so thank you for showing up. We can’t wait to get to March.”
Up Next
The No. 5/5 Commodores close out the 2025-26 regular season on Sunday, as Vanderbilt heads 180 miles east on I-40 to take on Tennessee. Tipoff against the Lady Volunteers is set for a 1 p.m. CT contest live on ESPN.
Dore Notes
- Vanderbilt has posted 26 wins in a season for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign
- The Commodores’ 12 SEC wins set the program record for most conference victories in a season
- At 16-0, the Dores complete the first undefeated regular season at home in school history
- The 26 wins are tied for the sixth-most victories in a season in program history with the 2003-04 and 2008-09 teams
- Thursday’s win gives the black and gold a 36-28 advantage in the all-time series, going 19-9 against the Crimson Tide at home
- The 15-point victory marks the largest margin of victory for Vanderbilt against Alabama since 2007-08
- Tonight’s game marks the first time Vanderbilt has played four-consecutive home games against ranked teams since the 2019-20 campaign
- It is the first win over Alabama at Memorial Gym since 2017, and the first back-to-back victories over the Crimson Tide since the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons
- Vanderbilt has won 17-straight home games dating back to the 2024-25 campaign, which is the longest home winning streak this century.
- The Commodores have had three or more players score double-digit points in 26 of their 29 games this season
- Vanderbilt’s five blocks are its most against an SEC opponent
- The black and gold notched double-digit steals for the fifth time in an SEC game this season, the 20th game in total
- Sophomore Mikayla Blakes led all players in scoring with 35, her sixth game with 30 or more in the last seven contests and 11th total this season
- It is Blakes’ fifth straight contest with 30-plus points against a top-25 opponent
- The sophomore guard now has 10 career games with 30 or more points in SEC play
- Blakes drilled six shots from behind the arc against the Crimson Tide, matching her season high for threes made in a game
- The guard extends her double-digit scoring streak to 48, which is the longest active scoring streak in the SEC and the third-longest in NCAA Division I
- Sacha Washington put together her sixth career double with 17 points and 10 rebounds
- Washington racked up seven assists, tying her career best
- Aubrey Galvan dished out nine assists to lead the Commodores in assists for the 16th time this season
- Justine Pissott scored 11 points to record her 7th game of the season with double-digit points
- Pissott has hit multiple threes in 26 of 29 games this season
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