Newark, N.J. — Vanderbilt remained perfect on the season Monday, holding off a late Michigan rally for a 72-69 win in a marquee matchup at the Prudential Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Freshman Aubrey Galvan delivered a poised performance for the No. 5 Commodores, scoring 20 points and sinking a crucial free throw in the final seconds to secure the victory. Galvan shot 7-for-14 from the floor as Vanderbilt improved to 19-0, extending its season-opening winning streak.
Mikayla Blakes and Justine Pissott, both standout New Jersey products, contributed 14 points each for Vanderbilt, which built a commanding first-half advantage and then withstood Michigan’s comeback attempt.
No. 7 Michigan was led by Syla Swords and Kendall Dudley, who finished with 16 points apiece. Olivia Olson added 14 points for the Wolverines (15-3), whose four-game winning streak came to an end.
Michigan faced an uphill battle early, falling behind by as many as 17 points in the first half. Vanderbilt briefly pushed its lead back to seven late in the game after a jumper from Aiyana Mitchell and a Galvan 3-pointer made it 70-63 with just over three minutes remaining.
The Wolverines refused to go away, trimming the deficit to 71-69 on Dudley’s layup with 44 seconds left. After a defensive stop, Michigan had one last chance, but Galvan calmly knocked down a free throw with three seconds remaining. Swords’ contested 3-point attempt from the corner at the buzzer came up short.
Vanderbilt controlled most of the contest, leading for all but 2:51 of the opening quarter. Its largest lead of the half came late, when Sacha Washington converted two free throws to make it 47-30 with 43 seconds left before intermission.
The win also gave Vanderbilt a 4-1 edge in the all-time series against Michigan, marking the teams’ first meeting since 1999.
Up Next:
Vanderbilt returns home to host Auburn on Thursday.
Michigan travels to Rutgers for a Thursday night matchup.
