Vanderbilt’s ascent to the top of college basketball this year had to stop somewhere. It wasn’t in Memorial Gym, where the women's team posted a perfect home record, or at home on Selection Sunday, where so many Commodore seasons ended before the program’s historic resurgence under Coach Shea Ralph and superstar guard Mikayla Blakes.
Like every elite program, Vanderbilt now has tournament ghosts. The ’Dores missed two game-tying 3-pointers from the team’s two top options — Blakes and rookie Aubrey Galvan — in Friday’s 67-64 Sweet 16 loss against Notre Dame in Fort Worth, Texas. Seven first-half steals from All-American Hannah Hidalgo knocked the Commodores off rhythm from the opening minute. It was Hidalgo, again, who fed her teammate the game-winning layup after out-jumping Blakes and Aiyana Mitchell, who both read Notre Dame’s play perfectly and enjoy a collective 12-inch height advantage over the 5-foot-6 Hidalgo. A defensive specialist, Notre Dame’s star has lost two consecutive Sweet 16 matchups and played with a visible vengeance, posting 31 points and earning a triple-double on Friday.
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Mikayla Blakes’ uncharacteristic clutch-time dribbling mistake will likely also haunt the superstar, who led all of women’s college basketball in points per game this season. After a shaky start, the Commodores turned up their defense and found their shots late in the second quarter, tying Notre Dame with a few minutes left to set up a thrilling finish in the national spotlight.
Sophomore Blakes and rookie Galvan — vaunted by teammates as the program’s Batman and Robin — eventually settled into a familiar one-two punch and combined for 50 of the team’s 64 points, as well as 15 of the team's rebounds. Galvan's hustle helped her recover two of her own missed 3-pointers, including one in the game’s final seconds to give Blakes a chance to win the game.
Senior Jada Brown stepped up big in March and took the Hidalgo assignment, freeing up Galvan and Blakes. Sacha Washington, who returned to form this year in her fifth season at Vanderbilt, started the game but spent the second half on the sidelines in favor of more minutes for Brown and Mitchell, who Ralph praises as the team's best screener.
“We are winning on and off the court, and this is just the beginning for Vanderbilt women’s basketball,” Ralph told media in the post-game press conference. “We will continue to compete for championships. We will continue to hopefully be in positions like today and hope that, the next time we’re in one, we’ll come away with a win.”
Poise, defense and excellent shooting lead Vanderbilt women's basketball to the school's first Sweet 16 since 2009
Ralph ended the season with multiple coach-of-the-year honors. Five years into the job, she has taken the Commodores from an SEC afterthought to a national contender. After the team’s second-round win over Illinois, both Blakes and senior Justine Pissott battled tears praising Ralph’s leadership. After Friday’s loss, Ralph assured reporters the team would be back, sharing a story from her own time as a player who went ice-cold in the Sweet 16 only to win a title the following year.
"It hurt, but it gave us something that we probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise," Ralph said. "I feel like this program is on the cusp of doing something really special, and what I'm hearing from my players already is that next year is going to be even more special."
Ralph emphasized that it’s tempting to zoom in on last-minute mistakes — the ghosts — but they can also obscure the other 40 minutes of basketball. Vanderbilt rebounded well and attacked Notre Dame’s defense, posting 23 points from the free-throw line. Former Commodore Iyana Moore, who transferred to Notre Dame in the offseason, ended with just two points and shot 0 for 8 from the 3-point arc, a testament to Vanderbilt’s defensive game plan.
Most seasons end on a loss. While the Commodores lose seniors Jada Brown, Washington and Pissott, they have a spectacular core around which to bounce back next season. Blakes, Galvan, Ralph and other young bright spots — like rookie Ava Black, who played big minutes against the Fighting Irish — ensure that Vanderbilt can again chase the rare season that ends with a tournament win. Nashville keeps winning too, with a premier women’s program growing in our backyard.
“You can’t ignore the things we did this season,” Blakes said after the game. “It hurts for a lot of us, especially our seniors, but to see what we did this year, the belief we had in each other, that’s because of the culture Coach Ralph and us built. We’re excited to get back to work so we don’t feel this way again.”
