Memorial Gym sounded like its old self again on Tuesday night, as Vanderbilt's women's basketball team shrugged off years of March quiet and routed Illinois 75-57 to punch a long-awaited ticket back to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2009. The Commodores seized control early, never really let go, and rode a dominant performance from sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes into a regional semifinal in Texas on Friday.
According to the Nashville Post, Blakes piled up 25 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the win at Memorial Gymnasium, coming one board shy of a triple-double. Justine Pissott added 18 points and freshman Aubrey Galvan chipped in 12, the kind of balanced scoring that kept Vanderbilt comfortably out in front whenever Illinois so much as hinted at a comeback. Afterward, Blakes credited head coach Shea Ralph for helping her rediscover the fun in her game, saying Ralph's style has freed her to attack on both ends of the floor.
Defense and depth did the heavy lifting
Vanderbilt's defense set the tone, holding Illinois to 22 percent shooting from three-point range and racking up a combined 19 steals and blocks, a suffocating effort that repeatedly short-circuited the Illini offense and flipped the game's momentum in the second half, per the team's season page on Wikipedia. Those stops turned into easy transition buckets and steady interior scoring, forcing Illinois into awkward looks while the Commodores' bench delivered timely contributions to keep the lead safe down the stretch.
Next up: Notre Dame in Fort Worth
The Commodores now head to Texas for a regional semifinal matchup with No. 6 seed Notre Dame on Friday afternoon, according to the tournament bracket and reporting from AP News. A win would send Vanderbilt into the regional final and could line up a marquee showdown with UConn if both programs advance.
In Shea Ralph's fourth season, Vanderbilt has elbowed its way back into the national conversation by pairing Blakes' scoring punch with a disruptive, switch-heavy defense. Memorial Gym's quirky setup, with its raised floor and benches tucked on the baselines, has long given the Commodores a distinctive home-court edge in March, a trait highlighted by Vanderbilt Athletics. Tuesday's win, the program's first Sweet Sixteen berth since 2009, underscores a return to form that has been years in the making, according to the team's historical record on Wikipedia.
