Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball (4-0) faced the Butler Bulldogs (3-1) on Nov. 17 for a matchup between two undefeated teams. In the end, the Commodores cruised to an 82-51 victory over the Bulldogs.
Vanderbilt was riding the tailwinds of three dominant wins, two of which were at home and another on the road at UCF earlier in the week. Butler entered the game with a noteworthy overtime win over Milwaukee and a 10-point victory over a Power Four team in Indiana. The game would be all the Commodores, however, with head coach Shea Ralph’s squad never trailing for the entire 40 minutes. Standout first-year Mikayla Blakes had a season-high 29 points, while Khamil Pierre added 24 points herself. Vanderbilt’s defense was stout, gaining 41 points off of forced turnovers.
Ralph praised her two leading scorers after the game.
“[Pierre] and [Blakes] are [Pierre] and [Blakes]. I’m not surprised by the things they do every day, because I see it in practice. But [today] was another special performance by [Blakes],” Ralph said.
Ralph elected to start the same lineup she went with against USF: Blakes, Madison Greene, Jordyn Oliver, Jane Nwaba and Pierre. Senior guard Iyana Moore was noticeably absent from the starting lineup for a second straight game and didn’t see minutes. The lack of minutes for Moore was likely due to the back spasms Ralph reported she suffered throughout the past week. The Commodores did have junior Justine Pissott, who was available for the first time this season. However, they were still without senior forward Sacha Washington, who remained in street clothes for the game.
First quarter
The game began with Butler winning the tip and working the ball around the arc but a pass was mishandled on the left corner of the court to give the ball to the Commodores. After a missed attempt on a short jumper by Pierre, she quickly recovered by grabbing a steal and taking it the length of the court to get an easy layup. Vanderbilt went on a scoring drought through the next 2:19 of play, however, and let Butler tie the game on a pair of free throws.
Blakes broke the doubt on a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. Pissott added to the total when she got her first bucket of the season shortly after, a short jumper taken nearly from the baseline. The ‘Dores allowed Butler to make its first field goal with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter, a layup by Lily Carmody, who worked her way around Mitchell and to the basket. Blakes responded just seconds later with a jumper to put the Commodores up 12-5. Butler’s Caroline Strande nailed a 3-pointer for the quarter’s final basket, but not before Pierre added another four points to her total with two free throws and a layup.
Second quarter
Blakes started the second quarter with a bang when she made a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. The Bulldogs answered, though, with Strande making back-to-back threes of her own to bring the game within two possessions. After a media timeout, Vanderbilt found its offensive rhythm again with a triple from Jane Neaba and a putback from Pierre. The Commodores also held strong on defense with two back-to-back steals by Leilani Kapinus and Pierre, respectively.
Butler opted to take a timeout and regroup before the score got ahead of them again. Vanderbilt, however, struggled to possess the ball against an equally formidable defense in Bulter, going on a 2:27 scoring drought and turning the ball over three times. The ‘Dores turned things around quickly by going on a 6-0 run in 1:13 and forcing three turnovers out of the Bulldogs to give them a 17-point lead. Vanderbilt ended the first half with a strong defensive effort, holding Butler scoreless for nearly the last four minutes. The Commodores also limited the Bulldogs to seven field goals in the first half to head back to the locker room with a 37-20 lead.
Third quarter
Ralph rolled with the same lineup that started the game in the second half of play. Butler started with the ball, but Vanderbilt grabbed it back quickly, forcing a five-second call on Kilyn McGuff. Pierre drove to the basket but come up just short on a layup, though she was able to gain the points back on free throws. A Commodore steal, which was converted on for a layup, forced Butler to take a 30-second timeout, as it was now down by twenty points.
Vanderbilt continued to add to its total, going on an 11-7 run. Butler came out firing after a media timeout, looking to close the 24-point deficit, and gained a jumper alongside a pair of free throws from a foul by Kapinus. The third quarter ended with the Commodores up 59-36. Blakes tabbed 11 points in the third quarter to bring her game total to 25, while Pierre also put up seven points herself to bring her game total to 19.
Fourth quarter
Vanderbilt logged a quick seven points to start the fourth quarter with sophomore Aga Markurat gaining her first points of the game off a made 3-pointer from the top of the arc. Nwaba also showed her range, knocking down two threes within a minute of each other. The game came to a close on a Butler three from Ari Wiggins.
Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball will be back in action on Nov. 20 at home against Hampton. The tip-off time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST.
