BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Vanderbilt women’s basketball player Mikayla Blakes was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for a league-leading fifth time to tie the school record for the most weekly SEC frosh awards earned in a season.
Blakes set the NCAA true freshman single-game scoring record last Thursday, scoring 53 points in a 99-86 win at Florida. The 53 points not only set the NCAA true freshman scoring record, but she also broke the SEC women’s basketball single-game scoring record that stood for over 22 years.
For the week, Blakes averaged 34.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.5 assists to help No. 23/23-ranked Vanderbilt go 1-1. It is her fifth SEC Freshman of the Week accolade this season, which leads the conference. Blakes ties Khamil Pierre for the most selections in school history, as Pierre won the SEC weekly freshman honor five times during the 2023-24 campaign.
Additionally, Blakes was named the USBWA Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week for the third-straight week. She is the only player to be named National Freshman of the Week multiple times this season.
The freshman is the only NCAA Division I player — men’s or women’s — to score at least 50 points in a game this season. Additionally, she set both the SEC and the Vanderbilt women’s basketball single-game scoring records. The freshman broke Jocelyn Penn’s (LSU) SEC single-game record of 51 points, scored on Jan. 4, 2003, against Stetson. Blakes also surpassed Khamil Pierre’s previous school record of 42 points, which was set on Dec. 17 vs. Evansville.
Blakes’ 53 points are the most scored in a game by a first-year player at the NCAA Division I level, breaking JuJu Watkins’ NCAA true freshman single-game scoring record of 51 points, set by the Southern California standout last season. Her 53 points also tied the Exactech Arena at O’Connell Center scoring record, set by LSU’s Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf back during the 1988-89 season. Blakes becomes the first Commodore since 1999-00 to have back-to-back games with 30-plus points.
The freshman came out of the gates on fire after her 33-point performance at No. 19 Alabama, as the guard scored 21 points over the first two quarters. Blakes remained hot after halftime, as she registered 32 points in the final two frames, scoring 18 points in the fourth quarter alone. The guard shot 66.7 percent from the field, going 16-of-24. She made a career-high 16 free throws, which is tied for third-most school history, and connected on five 3-point field goals.
The freshman followed her record-setting performance with a 16-point effort vs. Ole Miss. The guard had to battle foul trouble over the first two quarters, as she picked up three fouls and only played 10 minutes during the first half. Blakes came out of the locker room and scored 13 points in the second half to extend her current double-digit scoring streak to nine games.
No. 24/23 Vanderbilt hits the road Thursday, as they travel to No. 4/7 Texas for a top-25 SEC matchup. Tipoff against the Longhorns is set for 8 p.m. CT and airs live on SEC Network. Check back with VUCommodores.com later this week for a full game preview.
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