NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Shea Ralph recruited Mikayla Blakes, asking the guard to join her in doing the “uncommon thing” of building Vanderbilt back to the ranks of the nation’s best.
Together, they took a big step Sunday with a 65-61 win over No. 5 LSU.
It’s Vanderbilt’s first victory over a top-five program since the 2008-09 season and the first signature win for Ralph in her fifth season rebuilding this once-proud Southeastern Conference program. The Commodores, 15-0 and ranked 12th, are poised to move into the top 10 on Monday for the first time since 2007.
“For me, it is part of the journey,” said Ralph, who was hired away from her alma mater, UConn, in 2021. “This is the next step, right? But I’m enjoying every part of it, and I want my players to do the same because there’s going to be hard days, too, and we’ve had a lot of them. This team in particular has had a whole lot of hard days.”
Not Sunday. Not with a crowd of 6,576 on hand at Memorial Gym, where Vanderbilt had been averaging just 2,583 this season. Vanderbilt drew 7,805 to watch South Carolina on Feb. 23, 2025, and 8,299 when in-state rival Tennessee visited.
The majority of these fans yelled for Vanderbilt, and Ralph thanked them for being loud through introductions to the final minutes when the Commodores needed them most.
The Commodores, who beat three ranked opponents and reached a second straight NCAA tournament last season, led after the first quarter. They never trailed by more than seven, the last with 6:44 left. Vanderbilt finished the game outscoring LSU 8-3 in the final 2:05.
When the last second ticked off, the Commodores jumped and celebrated with their fans while “Callin’ Baton Rouge” played over the speakers.
The timing couldn’t have been better for Vanderbilt’s first win over a team ranked fifth nationally since downing then-No. 3 Auburn 73-70 at Memorial on Feb. 19, 2009. Those Commodores went on to win the 2009 SEC tournament with a victory over Auburn.
This was alumni weekend, with Ralph saying it was the best attended she has seen yet. Those on hand included coach Jim Foster and members of his 1992-93 squad that reached Vanderbilt’s only Final Four and were honored at halftime.
Ralph said they shared stories Saturday night with the current Commodores about winning championships and what it takes to be great. Those former players also continued the celebration into the locker room.
“They sold this place out,” Ralph said. “We’re going to sell this place out.”
Blakes is a big key to what Vanderbilt is doing. She leads the SEC in scoring after being the league’s freshman of the year. She was drawn by Ralph’s pitch of wanting to build something up.
“It’s a lot easier to go to, I think, top programs and just win,” Blakes said. “But I want to do the uncommon thing. I believe in my teammates, I believe my coaching staff, everybody here, especially the facility. And we have all the resources, so why not win here?”
Ralph also encouraged fans to keep turning out to watch Blakes.
“Let’s value what we’re watching,” Ralph said. “Show up and watch this kid because she’s a generational talent.”
LSU coach Kim Mulkey agreed. The Tigers knew Blakes puts up lots of shots and worked hard defending her. Blakes still had four assists, including one to freshman Aubrey Galvan on the 3-pointer that put Vanderbilt ahead to stay.
“The thing about her that is so impressive? She never gets tired. She never gets tired,” Mulkey said of Blakes. “She’s mentally and physically in as good a shape as any athlete and basketball player that I’ve seen.”
Ralph wanted her Commodores to enjoy this win with a time limit. They host Missouri on Thursday night, and league play just started.
“It’s still only January,” Ralph said. “We have a long way to go.”
