NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt women’s basketball team is heading Sweet 16 for the first time in 17 seasons, as the Commodores posted a 75-57 victory over No. 7-seed Illinois to move on to the Fort Worth Region 1 semifinals.
Vanderbilt moves on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2008-09 season. It is the Commodores’ 15th overall regional semifinal appearance, which ranks 15th among all NCAA Division I schools.
The Commodores had three players score double figures for the 30th time in 33 games this season, led by sophomore Mikayla Blakes’ 25 points. The All-American guard collected her second career double-double in the NCAA Tournament second-round victory. Blakes was on triple-double watch against the Fighting Illini, turning in a 25-point, 10-rebound and 9-assist performance. It is the first time Blakes has posted a stat line of 25-plus points, 5-plus rebounds and five-plus assists.
Blakes’ 25 points scored against Illinois give the Somerset, New Jersey, native 891 points this season, which sets the all-time NCAA Division I sophomore scoring record. She breaks Aari McDonald’s previous record of 890 points, which she set back in 2018-19 at Arizona.
Senior Justine Pissott registered 18 points and hit four 3-pointers in the win. The Toms River, New Jersey, native tied the Vanderbilt single-season 3-point field goals made record, as she matched Caroline Williams’ 95 made 3-pointers during the 2005-06 campaign.
Freshman Aubrey Galvan tallied 12 points in her second NCAA Tournament game. The Deerfield, Illinois, native added a pair of steals to go along with two assists against the Fighting Illini.
Vanderbilt led for 38:20 of game time and used a 9-0 run over the final 2:46 of the first quarter to turn a 12-8 Commodore lead into a 21-8 advantage going into the second stanza. Vanderbilt maintained a double-digit lead for nearly the remainder of the contest, as the Dores led by as many as 22 points before claiming the 18-point victory.
The Commodores shot 43.8 percent from the floor and made 11 3-pointers against Illinois. Vanderbilt limited the Fighting Illini to 29.6 percent from the field and held Illinois to 3-of-23 from behind the arc.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Win
“First of all, thank you guys for being here. I love seeing a full room of media covering this sport at Vanderbilt, which just advanced to our first Sweet 16 since I’ve been here. It’s great to see you, and thank you for being here. I’m so proud of my team. (Mikayla and Justine) have been through a lot here. They came here to make a difference. They came here to do something that hadn’t been done before, and we’re on that path. Tonight was a big step forward, and we’re going to celebrate it. We’re really excited to spend another day together. I just can’t wait to get back to work with them tomorrow. Lastly, congratulations to Illinois. They had an amazing season, and I’ve got a lot of respect for Shauna. The way she’s building her program, the way she runs her program, the way she leads, and I know they’ll be back here again next year.”
Up Next
Vanderbilt advances on to the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The No. 2-seeded Commodores will face No. 6-seed Notre Dame on Friday in the Fort Worth 1 Region semifinals at Dickies Arena. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. CT and airs live on ESPN.
Dore Notes
- Vanderbilt advances to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2008-09 season
- It will be Vandy’s 15th overall appearance in the Sweet 16, which is the 15th-most regional semifinal appearances in NCAA history
- Vandy improves to 42-29 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 16-2 at home in March Madness contests
- The Commodores post their 29th win of the season, which is the third-most victories collected in a single season at Vanderbilt
- Vanderbilt is now 18-0 at home this season, while the Commodores extend their winning streak at home to 19-straight games dating back to the 2024-25 season
- The Dores are now 2-1 against Illinois all-time and claimed the lone March Madness matchup between the two schools
- Justine Pissott scored double-digit points for the 18th time this season, while it is her 27th career game with 10-plus points
- Sophomore Mikayla Blakes manufactured her second career double-double, finishing with 25 points and 10 rebounds
- Blakes’ 891 points scored this season set the NCAA Division I record for most points scored by a sophomore
- It was Blakes’ 14th straight game with 20 or more points and her 28th overall this season
- Blakes also dished out a career-high nine assists
- Freshman Aubrey Galvan notched her fourth straight double-digit scoring contest, finishing with 12 points against the Fighting Illini
- Vanderbilt generated a season-high 10 blocks as a team
- Junior Aiyana Mitchell tied her career-high in blocks with four; it is her second time reaching that mark this season
- Mitchell has collected five or more offensive rebounds in back-to-back games for the first time in her career
- Graduate Sacha Washington also produced multiple blocks with three, matching her season high
