The Commodores secured their first Power Four win of the year. Vanderbilt takes down Arizona in the semifinals of the Acrisure Holiday Classic, 71-60.

Right from the jump, Vanderbilt and Arizona played each other physical, but that didn't rattle Mikayla Blakes.

The Wildcats converted on just two 3-pointers in the first half, while Blakes knocked down four of her own.

Though Vanderbilt looked good to start, it was a tale of two halves. Arizona pressed almost the entire second half, making it really difficult for the Commodores to bring the ball up the floor, and even trimmed their lead to one.

The Commodores gave up 23 total turnovers and the Wildcats outshot them by 4%, but they found a way to get it done.

It was the heroics of Mikayla Blakes and Khamil Pierre, who combined for 48 points, that helped Vanderbilt advance to 7-0.

Three quick takeaways

Vanderbilt showed grit

The game was physical from start to finish. Between the two teams, there were 49 turnovers.

When it mattered the most, Vanderbilt pulled it together and finished strong.

"I felt like there were times where we were playing really well and then there were times we just looked like we were about to fall apart," Ralph said. "At the end of the day, I don't care if it's pretty or not, I want us to be resilient enough to win."

While Arizona may have cut Vanderbilt's lead to just one point in the fourth quarter, the Commodores never handed over their advantage.

"I thought down the stretch, Khamil Pierre made some huge plays, those steals for layups [and] the free throws. Mikayla and Khamil made some huge plays."

When a play needed to be made, Vanderbilt made it happen.

The Commodores' leaders are helping in other ways besides scoring

The headliners this season have been Mikayla Blakes and Khamil Pierre. While those two may have had a great game, others helped in ways that don't always show up.

"The calling card for our team needs to be, 'Hey, whatever we need from you, you’ve got to give to us.' There were a lot of things Iyana, [Jordyn Oliver], and Leilani did that didn’t necessarily show up in the box score, but they provided the leadership and experience to calm [Blakes and Pierre] down."

Jordyn Oliver contributed eight rebounds and two steals while also serving as a primary ball handler, helping Vanderbilt navigate the press.

Leilani Kapinus was a key piece in the win, adding seven points—third most for Vanderbilt—along with three rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.

"This is the Mikayla Blakes show"

A quote by Renee Montgomery who raved about Blakes on the TNT halftime show. The freshman had 16 points, four steals and two assists in the first half.

Heading into halftime, Arizona head coach Adia Barnes knew her team had to get a handle on Blakes.

“We have to find an answer for Blakes. She’s been absolutely demolishing us.”

While the Wildcats may have found an answer during the third quarter, the guard handled her business in the fourth, finding seven points and making all four of her free throw attempts.

She finished the game with 23 points, four assists and four steals.

This was Blakes' first test against a Power Four team and she did everything and more in order to help her team remain undefeated.