NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Sophomore Mikayla Blakes set the Vanderbilt women’s basketball single-season scoring record on Saturday evening, as her 30-point performance at Memorial Gymnasium led the No. 2-seeded Commodores to a 102-61 victory over No. 15-seed High Point in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Blakes’ 30 points on Saturday night pushed her season total to 867, which breaks Wendy Scholten’s previous record of 855 points that stood for 36 seasons. Blakes’ 867 points in 2025-26 are the second-most scored by an SEC player in the NCAA era. The sophomore also broke into the top 10 on Vanderbilt’s all-time scoring list on Saturday, as she now sits in ninth with 1,636 career points.
The sophomore guard shot 68.8 percent from the floor, going 11-of-16, and dished out five assists in 29 minutes of action. It is Blakes’ 13th 30-point performance this season, while the Somerset, New Jersey, native has scored 30-plus points for the eighth time in the last 10 games. She is just the third Commodore to score 30-plus points in an NCAA Tournament game, as she joins Sheri Sam and Chantelle Anderson, who each accomplished the feat twice. Blakes is the first Vanderbilt women’s basketball player since Chantelle Anderson in the 2002 Elite Eight to register 30 points in a March Madness contest.
Vanderbilt had a pair of graduate students record a double-double on Saturday. Sacha Washington had 10 points to go along with 17 rebounds, while Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda had 10 points and 11 caroms. It is the first time that two Commodores have had a double-double in an NCAA Tournament game since March 22, 2004, when Hillary Hager (12 pts, 11 reb) and Carla Thomas (15 pts, 11 reb) accomplished the feat vs. Chattanooga in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
Washington’s 17 rebounds vs. High Point tied the Vanderbilt record for most rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game. The Lawrenceville, Georgia, native matched Karen Booker’s 17 caroms against James Madison back on March 15, 1987.
A total of five Commodores scored double-digit points against High Point. Freshmen Aubrey Galvan and Ava Black joined Blakes, Mwenentanda and Washington in the double-figure scoring column. Galvan registered 17 points and a team-high six assists to go along with a team-best four steals, while Black tallied a career-high 12 points off the bench.
The 102 points scored by Vanderbilt set the school record for most points scored in an NCAA Tournament game. It is only the second time that Vandy has scored 100 points in a March Madness contest. The other occurrence took place on March 15, 1996, when the Dores posted a 100-83 victory over No. 14-seed Harvard in Lawrence, Kansas.
The 41-point win over High Point marked Vanderbilt’s largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game since March 17, 1995, when the Commodores posted a 90-44 victory over No. 16 seed Northern Illinois.
The Commodores, who enter March Madness ranked No. 6 in both the Associated Press top 25 and the USA TODAY coaches poll, advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2012-13 season. It is Vandy’s second March Madness win under head coach Shea Ralph, as the Dores posted a 72-68 win over Columbia in a First Four contest during the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Win
“What an amazing environment. I just want to congratulate High Point on an amazing season. They play so hard. They’re so well coached and were a tough opponent. It’s amazing what they’ve done there. So just shout out to them, because I really enjoyed playing them today. They did a great job.
“And then for my team, it was a full team effort today. We talk about that. I feel like talking about that at nauseum this year, but that’s why we’ve gotten to this point. Because our team is a true team. We play with great chemistry, great energy. We had an amazing environment with our community, our family and friends today, which gave us extra energy. I really loved the full team effort, especially after a couple of weeks off. I’m looking forward to what Monday holds, but we’re going to celebrate this one today.”
Up Next
Vanderbilt will now face the winner between No. 7-seed Illinois and No. 10-seed Colorado on Monday at Memorial Gym. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and airs live on ESPN2.
Dore Notes
- Vanderbilt collects its first NCAA Tournament win since March 20, 2024, when the Dores posted a 72-68 victory over Columbia in the First Four round
- The Commodores advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when they knocked off No. 9-seed Saint Joseph’s, 60-54 in Storrs, Connecticut
- Vandy improves to 41-29 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 15-2 at home in March Madness contests
- The Commodores post their 28th win of the season, which is tied for the third-most victories collected in a single season at Vanderbilt, matching the 1994-95 and 2006-07 squads
- Vanderbilt is now 17-0 at home this season, while the Commodores extend their winning streak at home to 18-straight games dating back to the 2024-25 season
- Vanderbilt is now 2-0 all-time vs. High Point
- Mikayla Blakes set Vanderbilt’s single-season scoring record with 867 points scored this season
- Blakes’ breaks Wendy Scholten’s previous record of 855 points, which was set during the 1989-90 campaign
- Blakes broke into the top 10 on Vanderbilt’s all-time scoring list tonight, as her 1,636 career points rank ninth in school history
- Sacha Washington tallied her seventh double-double of the season and 29th of her career The graduate finished with 10 points and a career-high, tying 17 rebounds
- Washington’s 17 rebounds tie the Vandy record for most in an NCAA tournament game with Karen Booker, who had 17 rebounds vs. James Madison on March 15, 1987
- Aubrey Galvan finished with 17 points, her third consecutive game in double figures, and dished six assists, marking the fourth time in the last five games with at least five assists
- Galvan also made four steals are the most by the freshman since January 22 against Auburn
- Jada Brown matched Galvan with four steals off the bench
- Mikayla Blakes becomes the third Commodore to score 30 points in an NCAA Tournament game.
- Tonight marked Vanderbilt’s fifth 30-point performance by a Dore in the NCAA tournament, and the first since Chantelle Anderson’s 35 points vs. Tennessee in the 2002 Elite 8
- Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda posted 10 points and 11 rebounds for the second double-double of her career
- Mwenentanda’s 11 rebounds match her career high that was set last season at Texas
- Freshman Ava Black finished with a career-high 12 points, just the second time in her career reaching double figures
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