No. 5 LSU Tigers just got a tase of the SEC competition as Vanderbilt Commodores made their loudest statement on Sunday afternoon.

In Memorial Gym, Nashville, the Commodores held off a late surge to secure a 65-61 win. They remain unbeaten while LSU faced their second conference loss.

Commodores guard Mikayla Blakes set the tone early. The team’s highest scorer put up 32 points, nearly half of Vanderbilt’s scoring.

Her second season high performance started off scoring the Commodores’ first 11 points. By the end of Q1, the Commodores had a 15-12 edge but LSU quickly made up in the second.

They opened 13-3, restricting Blakes to only score once. And by halftime the score read 28-22 in favor of LSU. But there was a shift in momentum yet again.

Freshman Abby Galvin exploded with 11 points in the their quarter to even out 43-42 goikg into the last strech. When it looked like LSU was going to get their way, Galvin delivered with a three pointer at 2:05 flipping the game.

To add to it, Blakes made multiple layups to go 7-0. However, one thing caught people's eye.

Mikayla Blakes went out of bounds

Drama unfolded in the last moments of this SEC showdown. Brwsports noted a moment that could have changed everything for Mulkey’s squad. "REFS APPEAR TO MISS CRUCIAL OUT OF BOUNDS CALL THAT WOULD’VE GIVEN LSU BALL”. She made the 3-pointer to get a lead for the Commodores.

If the call for out of bounds was given, LSU could have had possession instead and made a comeback. But with 9 seconds left, the Tigers missed crucial shots before the final buzzer went off.

This matchup marked the first Top-15 showdown at Memorial Gym since the 2006-07 season. HC Shea Ralph got her first win over a top 5 ranked opponent. The Commodores are now 15-0 and 2-0 in the SEC extending its home winning streak to 10.

As per the current schedule, Vanderbilt Commodores are among the top 4 undefeated teams of the 2025-26 NCAA season.

LSU struggled with defense and scoring as senior Flau’jae Johnson went without scoring a single point for the first time. Jada Richard and MiLaysia Fulwiley made it up by putting 13 points each but it was not enough.

LSU now prepares to go on the road to take on Georgia while Vanderbilt go home to host Missouri.

Written by

Fatema Kapasi

Edited by

Joyita Das