Five in Double Figures as Vanderbilt Cruises Past High Point 102-61
Vanderbilt Rolls Past High Point in NCAA First Round
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Round one of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament got underway for the Vanderbilt Commodores here at Memorial Gymnasium. The Dores hosted the High Point Panthers, and this game went as expected. Vanderbilt dominated in a 102-61 win.
Coach Ralph and the team have talked about coming out with energy and urgency this season, and that was on display as they jumped out to a 17-2 lead before the first media timeout. Shots were falling, and Vanderbilt’s defense was on point.
While the Commodores were on a roll, High Point had one player in Macy Spencer that did all she could to keep up, as she scored 22 of High Point’s 32 first-half points and finished with 27.
Scoring is all good, but an even bigger advantage for Vanderbilt was on the boards. High Point had a big size disadvantage and the Dores were better for it, as they dominated with a 56-22 advantage.
Sacha Washington pretty much had her way down in the paint with 10 points and 17 rebounds, as nobody could mess with her on the boards. Her 17 rebounds tied the Vanderbilt NCAA single-game record with Karen Booker in 1987 against James Madison. After the game, she spoke about that.
“I mean, this is another team we knew that we could have an advantage on. I always make it my personal goal every night,” said Washington. “I’ve made it a goal for the team to have, we need to rebound every night. That’s how we’re going to win games. That’s how we’re going to get 2nd chance opportunities on offense, especially in March, we need to rebound. We knew we could do a lot of that tonight.”
Mikayla Blakes did what Blakes does, as she broke the Vanderbilt Commodores women’s basketball single-season scoring record that was held by Wendy Scholtens in the 1989-90 season. As humble and focused as Blakes is, she had no idea and is thankful for the teammates around her.
“I’m just excited, just really doing whatever my team needs me to do. How to get easy buckets, and also, I couldn’t do it without my teammates, having four other people on the court who are threats in every other position, and I’m just super thankful,” said Blakes.
SEC Freshman of the Year Aubrey Galvan had a great night with 17 points, six assists, and four steals. She is always unbothered and looked every bit of it during the first round game. Her mood is always the same, and that has turned out to be a good thing for Galvan and the Commodores.
With Shea Ralph always making sure to grow confidence in depth, freshman Ava Black was able to get big productive minutes and scored a season-high 12 points.
I spoke with Black afterward, and she was glad to see her shots falling. But she was even more focused on just doing whatever it took to help the Commodores win. She has come along all season, and will be an important player here in Nashville going forward.
“It feels good, the momentum is good. I was more focused on getting a team win, doing what we need to do. I wasn’t really focused on points,” said Black. “But it felt good to just see the ball go in finally and see the energy going.”
Black’s dedication and hard work have also been noticed by Mikayla Blakes, and she spoke about her in our postgame chat.
“She’s been wanting to play and she’s put in so much work behind the scenes to be able to perform in those moments when she gets the time to,” said Blakes.
Black has been known for bringing energy and great hustle this season, and now when the lights are the brightest, Blakes believes she could be a breakout for the Dores in the postseason.
“She’s just a hustler, and she makes plays super easy. She listens to anything we say because she just wants to get better, and this season hasn’t been easy for her,” said Blakes. “She’s been able to go through ups and downs and just remain constant and know who she is. I feel like we’re going to have breakouts in March, and I feel like she’s one of them.”
The Commodores finished with a total of five in double figures, as Ndjakalenga Mwenetanda finished with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, also. Mwenetanda has been through ups and downs over the last month or so as well, and maybe this first-round performance will help get her back in the groove for the duration of the tournament.
Vanderbilt Head Coach Shea Ralph spoke to the true team effort and how everyone has made this great season come together.
“It was a full team effort today. We talk about that, I feel like, ad nauseam this year, but that’s why we’ve gotten to this point. Because our team is a true team. We play with great chemistry, great energy,” said Ralph.
“We had an amazing environment with our community, our family and friends today, that gave us extra energy. But I really loved the full team effort, especially after a couple weeks off, and I’m looking forward to what tomorrow holds, but we’re going to celebrate this one today.”
Vanderbilt has now made it out of the first round for the first time since the 2012-13 season. They will enjoy this win for a night, and go back to work to prepare for Monday night.
“I feel like we get to enjoy the win for the night and then tomorrow prep for a new team starts. And I feel like that’s the main thing. We can’t look too far into the future. We can’t be stuck in the past and just enjoying the win. We have to be able to move forward and continue to get better,” said Mikayla Blakes.
