What we learned from Mikayla Blakes’ 27 points in Vanderbilt women’s basketball opening win
Vanderbilt women’s basketball opened up its 2025-26 season with a 74-65 win over Cal as Mikayla Blakes scored 27 points in Paris.
The team got off to a slow start, trailing by two at halftime, but a 19-0 run in the third quarter put the game away for the Commodores (1-0), who were part of the Oui-Play doubleheader on Nov. 3.
Blakes, the 2025 SEC Freshman of the Year and one of the country’s top scorers, was 9-for-27 from the field, and No. 21 Vanderbilt shot just 39% from the field overall against Cal (0-1). But it won the rebounding battle 49-41, including 27 offensive rebounds, and had 15 steals and eight blocks.
“It definitely looked like our first game at times,” coach Shea Ralph said. “We battled from start to finish. It was a full team effort. And listen, we have the best player in the country on our team, so we’re going to be really tough to beat.”
Here’s what we learned from the win:
Mikayla Blakes and Aubrey Galvan look like a dynamic duo
Blakes was the Commodores’ ballhandler last season.This year, they have moved her off the ball to play next to freshman point guard Aubrey Galvan.
The two players worked well together, even as Blakes and Galvan were off on their shooting. Galvan scored seven points (3-for-14), but had nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals. She showed excellent quickness and court vision, and her passing ability figures to be a weapon.
“It’s a lot easier,” Blakes said of playing with Galvan. “She does everything . . . She just does what we need her to do and the floor just opens up. She’s really good. She’s crafty and I couldn’t ask for a better point guard.”
Vanderbilt succeeds with two-big lineups
In the first half, Vanderbilt’s offense flagged. When Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda got in foul trouble, reserve guards Jada Brown and Aga Makurat struggled.
In the second half, Ralph adjusted with two bigs together in the lineup, using various combinations of Sacha Washington, Aiyana Mitchell and Aalyah Del Rosario. The plan worked to perfection.
Mitchell was particularly impressive. In 25 minutes off the bench, She had 12 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Her plus-minus was a team-high 19. Washington had 10 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
“We played around just a little bit with it, so there’s a long way to go, but the energy that (Mitchell) brought to the game, not just rebounding, defensively, blocking shots, she was getting to the rim, making layups,” Ralph said. “I think it really just revitalized our team.”
How Justine Pissott has expanded her game
Pissott is in her third season with Vanderbilt after transferring from Tennessee, but in her first two years, she was mostly a role player whose main contribution was shooting.
The Commodores need her to step into a bigger role this season, and so far so good. Pissott had an off shooting day as well, scoring nine points on 3-for-10 shooting, but she had seven rebounds, two assists, three blocks and one turnover playing 39 minutes.
“She missed a bunch of shots, but having her on the floor matters because she understands what we’re trying to do,” Ralph said. “She’s starting to take defense and rebounding a little bit more seriously. We’re going to keep working on that. She’ll make great cuts and get layups. Justine, Mikayla, they are people that we have to have on the floor because they make everybody else around them better, no matter how their shot looks.”
