The No. 12/11-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team earned a landmark victory on Jan. 4, defeating No. 5 LSU 65–61 in a defensive showdown at Memorial Gymnasium. The win marked Vanderbilt’s first triumph over a top-five opponent since the 2008–09 season and the biggest of the Shea Ralph era.
After trailing during the second quarter, the Commodores battled back with a strong close to the third and surged ahead in the fourth behind a clutch 8–0 run. Sophomore Mikayla Blakes delivered a standout performance, scoring a game-high 32 points—15 of them in the final quarter—while playing all 40 minutes. She sealed the win at the free-throw line in the closing seconds.
Freshman Aubrey Galvan added 14 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer late in the fourth, while Vanderbilt’s defense held the nation’s highest-scoring team to a season-low 61 points and forced 22 turnovers. With the victory, the Commodores improved to 15–0 overall and 2–0 in SEC play, securing the second-best start in program history.
