PARIS – The No. 19/21-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team used a 30-4 spurt to run away from the California Golden Bears on Monday at the Oui-Play Paris 2025, as the Commodores open the 2025-26 season with a 74-65 victory in the City of Lights.
After trading blows over the first 18-plus minutes of the contest, Vanderbilt used a 30-4 run that went from the 1:47 mark of the second quarter to the 1:48 in the third quarter, turning a nine-point deficit into a 17-point lead for the Dores. Vandy scored 19 consecutive points that spanned over seven minutes in the third to open up the game and take a 17-point advantage. California was able to cut into the Vanderbilt lead in the fourth, but the Dores were able to withstand the late charge to leave Paris with a nine-point win.
All-American Mikayla Blakes opened her sophomore campaign with a 27-point, 3-steal performance. It is her 22nd career game with 20-plus points, while it was the 11th time she has scored 25 or more in a game at Vanderbilt. Tonight’s effort extends her double-digit scoring streak to 20-straight games dating back to last season, while it is her fifth-consecutive contest with 20-plus points.
With the victory, the No. 19/21-ranked Commodores move to 1-0 on the year to begin the 2025-26 campaign. It is Vanderbilt’s first win on international soil, as the Dores were previously 0-4 all-time in official NCAA contests outside of the United States.
Blakes was one of three Vanderbilt players to register double-digit points in the season-opening win over Cal. Forward Aiyana Mitchell began her junior season by collecting the first double-double of her collegiate career, as the Colorado Springs, Colorado, native registered 12 points and grabbed a personal-best 10 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.
Graduate student Sacha Washington collected 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds in her first official game back on the court since March 22, 2023, after missing last season due to a medical condition. The 6-2 forward added a team-high four steals to her statline.
Freshman Aubrey Galvan filled up the stat sheet in her Vanderbilt debut. The Deerfield, Illinois, native pulled down nine rebounds while adding seven points, seven assists and three steals to her line.
The Commodores shot 38.7 percent from the field, while outrebounding the Golden Bears, 49-41. Vanderbilt held a 25-15 edge in second-chance points, while scoring 40 total points in the paint on Monday.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Result
“This has been an incredible experience for us. Just from start to finish, getting here, being able to start our season in Paris, and having support from our administration and university to do so. Being invited to this event, the red carpet that they rolled out, the things that we got to experience were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of us. We’re so grateful for that.
“We came here to win a basketball game, too, and we’re really proud of this team. It definitely looked like our first game at times, but we battled from start to finish. It was a full team effort, and we have the best player in the country on our team. So, we’re going to be really tough to beat. Today was a great test against a great team. We’re going home with the win. We have a lot to work on, but this was a good way to kick off our season today in Paris. It’s pretty awesome.”
Up Next
The Commodores open the 2025-26 home slate next Monday, Nov. 10, as Vanderbilt host Furman in the home opener. Tipoff from Memorial Gymnasium is set for 6 p.m. CT and airs live on SEC Network.
Dore Notes
- Vanderbilt opens a season with a win for the fifth-straight season
- The Commodores are now 5-0 in season-opening games in the Shea Ralph era
- Vandy wins its first official NCAA game on international soil
- The Dores are now 1-4 all-time in games outside of the United States
- Sophomore Mikayla Blakes registered her 11th game with 25-plus points with a 27-point effort
- Blakes registered three or more steals in a contest for the 20th time at Vanderbilt
- The sophomore has now scored 10-plus points in 20-straight games, while she has registered 20 or more points for the fifth-straight contest
- Blakes has registered at least 10 points in 33 of her 34 career games at Vanderbilt
- Junior Aiyana Mitchell recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench
- The 10 rebounds for Mitchell set a new career high
- Graduate Sacha Washington scored double-digit points for the 49th time as a Dore
- Graduate Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda scored seven points in a starting role in her Vanderbilt debut, while junior Aalyah Del Rosario registered two points in five-plus minutes off the bench in her Commodore debut
- The Dores are now 12-5 all-time against California, as Vanderbilt snaps a two-game losing streak to the Golden Bears
- The last time Vanderbilt beat Cal was on Dec. 1, 2004, with a 96-54 victory in Memorial Gymnasium
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