The Vanderbilt Commodores were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament when they lost to the Baylor Bruins 80-63 in the Round of 64 round on Friday. After defeating Columbia in the First Four round, the Commodores’ season ended after shooting 3-of-17 from the 3-point line.
“I thought we started slow,” Shea Ralph said. “We were not able to overcome all the adversity.”
Shea Ralph elected to start Jordyn Cambridge, Iyana Moore, Justine Pissott, Khamil Pierre and Sacha Washington. Moore led Vanderbilt in scoring with 15 points.
The game began with Vanderbilt winning the tip. Cambridge took the ball and passed it to Pierre who scored the first points of the night. After a trade of scoreless possessions, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs made a layup to give Baylor its first points of the night. Liitepage-Buggs scored again on Baylor’s ensuing possession and converted on an and-1 opportunity. Moore responded with two made free throws on the other side.
The Commodores cooled down after Moore’s free throws and went on a 4:18 dry spell. During the Vanderbilt scoring drought, Baylor went on an 11-0 run to earn a 16-4 lead with just over five minutes elapsed in the game.
A few moments later, Cambridge converted off of a Baylor turnover and passed the ball to Jordyn Oliver. Oliver made a layup as the first quarter buzzer. Baylor had a 24-12 lead over Vanderbilt after the first quarter. Vanderbilt committed six more turnovers than Baylor in the period.
Baylor had a comfortable 30-18 cushion midway through the second quarter. Moore punched into the Baylor lead when she provided Vanderbilt with the team’s first 3-pointer of the night. The shot sparked a 9-0 run to put Vanderbilt 30-27 with four minutes remaining in the first half. Baylor outscored Vanderbilt 11-7 to finish the quarter. In the first half, Vanderbilt was 1-of-9 from behind the arc and Baylor was 5-of-10 from deep.
Vanderbilt was unable to claw back into the game in the third quarter. The Baylor offense wreaked havoc on the Commodores. Baylor earned its largest lead of the night when Bella Fontleroy made a 3-ball to put the Bears up 62-44 with nearly two minutes remaining in the first half. The Bears were on a 12-2 run but not for long as Moore knocked down a 3-pointer on Vanderbilt’s next possession. Moore’s shot did not lead to a momentum spark for the Commodores.
In the third quarter, Baylor had 10 more points in the paint than Vanderbilt. The Bruins entered the final quarter with a definitive 69-49 lead.
The Bears kept their foot on the gas in the fourth quarter. After leading Vanderbilt by 18 with 7:54 remaining in the game, Baylor went on a 7-0 run.
The run was ended when Cambridge made a 3-ball. The Commodores would have a 7-0 run of their own, thanks to five points from Cambridge and two points from Washington. Vanderbilt, while it kept its intensity on the defensive end, was ultimately to climb back into the game on Friday.
The Commodores had issues with ball security all night, ultimately surrendering 21 turnovers. Vanderbilt also missed 13 free throws in a game that required a little margin of error to win.
Friday marked the end of Cambridge’s collegiate playing days. The point guard notched 1,037 points, 438 assists and 350 steals during her time at Vanderbilt.
“I’m proud of myself,” Cambridge said. “I’m upset that it ends here but I’m proud and excited to start the next stage of my life…Thank you to my coaches, teammates and my mom.”
Vanderbilt’s season was marked by several highlights from winning its most SEC wins in a season (seven) to earning its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.
“I’m really proud of my team,” Ralph said. “I’m looking forward to next year because this is just the beginning.”
