NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On Tuesday, Vanderbilt women’s basketball standout Mikayla Blakes was named the Associated Press Women’s Basketball Player of the Week and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week on the same day for the second time this season.
Overall, it is Blakes’ NCAA-leading fourth USBWA Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week selection this season, while it is the second time she has been named AP Player of the Week over the past three weeks.
The freshmen averaged 34.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 4.5 steals to help Vanderbilt go 1-1 in a pair of overtime SEC contests this week. Blakes averaged 44.5 minutes per game, as the Commodores played in back-to-back overtime contests that included a total of three extra periods. The guard once again rewrote the SEC and NCAA women’s basketball record books this past Sunday, as her 55-point performance at Auburn set the SEC and NCAA freshman single-game scoring records.
Earlier on Tuesday, Blakes became the first Vanderbilt women’s basketball player to be named both the SEC Player and Freshman of the Week at the same time. Blakes is the second Commodore to earn each distinction in the same season, as she joins Stephanie Holzer, who was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Nov. 14 and SEC Player of the Week on Feb. 6 during the 2010-11 campaign. She also became the first SEC player since Candace Parker in 2006 to win both SEC weekly awards in the same week.
The 55 points scored by Blakes is tied for the ninth-most in a single game in NCAA women’s basketball history. She matches Patrica Hoskins of Mississippi Valley State, who scored 55 points twice in 1988-89. Blakes joins Hoskins as the only two NCAA Division I women’s basketball players ever to have multiple 53-point scoring performances in the same season.
Blakes shot 53.6 percent from the field (15-of-28) and made an SEC record 23 free throws in a 98-88 overtime win at Auburn. The guard scored 30 of her 55 points over the final 10:25 of game time. The freshman played in all 45 minutes of the game on Sunday. Blakes joins NBA legend LeBron James as the only basketball player in NBA, WNBA, NCAA men’s basketball, and NCAA women’s basketball to score 55-plus points while playing every second of the game since 2005.
Blakes filled up the stat sheet in an 85-77 double overtime loss to Mississippi State at Memorial Gymnasium on Thursday. The freshman registered 13 points, pulled down a career-high nine rebounds, collected five steals, and dished out four assists. Blakes came up clutch in the first overtime period against the Bulldogs, as her jumper with one second left on the clock sent the game into double overtime.
Earlier this week Blakes was the only freshman named to the 2025 Dawn Staley Award Late Season Watch List. The Dawn Staley Award goes to the player who demonstrates exceptional skills, leadership, and performance at the guard position. Fans can click here to see the full watch list.
The Commodores continue their brief two-game SEC road trip on Thursday, as Vanderbilt travels to No. 16/17 Oklahoma. Tipoff against the Sooners is set for 6 p.m. and streams live on SEC Network+.
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