Vanderbilt Commodores

No. 7 Vanderbilt WBB Takes Down No. 16 Kentucky: The Anchor

Your daily briefing on what’s going on with Vanderbilt Athletics.
Graham Baakko|
Vanderbilt WBB beats Kentucky
Vanderbilt WBB beats Kentucky | @VandyWBB / X

Vanderbilt women’s basketball escaped Lexington, Kentucky with a 84-84 win Thursday night over the Wildcats.

The first half of the game was really tight as Vanderbilt took a 19-16 lead into the second quarter before Kentucky outscored the Commodores by seven points in the final 10 minutes before halftime.

Kentucky continued its run coming out of the gates in the third quarter. The Wildcats grabbed a 54-45 lead with a little under three minutes in the quarter before Vanderbilt went on an extended 27-8 run to flip the script and take a 10-point lead.

But Kentucky was not done. The Wildcats continued the scoring run theme with a 8-0 run of its own to cut the Vanderbilt lead to just 72-70. But in the end, it was Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes that helped seal the deal for Vanderbilt. Blakes finished the game with 37 points, but scored 19 of them in the fourth quarter to survive with a win.

Blakes shot 13-for-25 in the game and hit six of her nine three-pointers. Aubrey Galvan was also a bright spot for the Vanderbilt backcourt as she scored 16 points and assisted on seven field goals. And it was Sacha Washington in the post for the Commodores that made an impact. Washington scored 15 points on a perfect 7-for-7 night from the floor in addition to grabbing four rebounds.

With the win, Vanderbilt moves to 22-2 and have now started a new winning streak of two straight wins after back-to-back losses to South Carolina and Ole Miss. But the Commodores gauntlet is not done yet. They return to Memorial Monday night for a matchup with No. 11 Oklahoma at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

Countdown to Vanderbilt’s 2026 Baseball Season Opener

7 days

The Anchor: Friday, Feb. 6, 2026

  • Vanderbilt women’s basketball power forward Sacha Washington has been named to the midseason list of nominees up for the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award. Washington is one of 10 players on the list.
  • Vanderbilt has launched the Anchor For Her campaign to establish Vanderbilt as a school that can be a destination for future female athletes to establish a legacy in Nashville.
  • Vanderbilt lacrosse has three players named to the American Conference preseason all-conference team. Brooke Baker, Alex Gladding and Nancy Halleron were unanimously named to the American Conference All-Conference Team.

Thursday’s Commodores Results

No. 7 Vanderbilt women’s basketball beat No. 16 Kentucky 84-83.

Friday’s Commodores Schedule

Vanderbilt swimming at the Louisville Invitational.

Vanderbilt women’s tennis vs. No. 2 Texas A&M at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship.

Vanderbilt bowling at the Storm Flyer Classic (Chicago, Illinois), 10:25 a.m. CT.

Commodores Quote of The Day

"Surround yourself with people who dream bigger than you do"
Jay Cutler

We’ll Leave You With This…

Check Us Out On:

Vanderbilt Commodores On SI:

Published
Graham Baakko
GRAHAM BAAKKO

Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.

Home/Basketball