BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team swept the SEC weekly awards, as on Tuesday, the conference named Khamil Pierre the SEC Player of the Week while Mikayla Blakes was named co-SEC Freshman of the Week.
It is the second time in program history that the Commodores have claimed each SEC weekly honors in women’s basketball. Vanderbilt last swept the SEC weekly awards on Dec. 23, 2019, with Mariella Fasoula (Player) and Koi Love (Freshman) earning the accolades.
For Pierre, it is the first time in her career that she has been named SEC Player of the Week. Overall, it’s the sixth SEC weekly honor for the Phoenix, Arizona, native, as she was named SEC Freshman of the Week, a program record five times during the 2023-24 season. It is the second-straight weekly SEC rookie honor for Blakes, after earning it for the first time in her career last week.
The duo’s selections mark the 14th and 15th time a Commodore has earned a weekly award from the SEC under head coach Shea Ralph. Pierre becomes the first Vandy player since Ciaja Harbison in 2022-23 to be named SEC Player of the Week. Blakes is now the fourth Commodore to earn multiple SEC Freshman of the Week honors in the Ralph era.
Pierre averaged 18.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.5 steals in a pair of home wins last week. The two double-doubles pushed her season total to an NCAA-best five. Her 17 made field goals were the second-most during the week, as she shot 56.7 percent from the field. Pierre’s 12.0 rebounds per game average was second-highest in the SEC last week. She scored double-digit points in both contests this week to extend her career-best double-digit scoring average to nine games dating back to last season. The sophomore is one of four NCAA Division I players who have posted a double-double in all but one game their team has played this season, while she is one of seven players in the nation averaging at least 19.0 points and 11.0 rebounds.
The 6-2 forward opened the week by posting a double-double in a 94-45 win over Hampton on Nov. 20. Pierre scored 15 points and pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds against the Lady Pirates while adding three steals to her stat line. She followed that performance by collecting a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds to help the Commodores post a 104-59 victory over Samford on Nov. 22. Pierre went 10-of-16 from the field against the Bulldogs and collected four steals.
Blakes averaged 18.0 points and led all SEC freshmen at 6.5 assists per game last week. The guard contributed 33.0 points per game between points and assists in a pair of Vandy wins. Her career-high eight assists against Hampton on Nov. 20 were the most by an SEC player this week and the second-most by an SEC freshman this season. The guard was extremely efficient from the field, shooting 53.8 percent (14-of-26). She leads all SEC freshmen in scoring at 20.0 points per game. Blakes is the first Vanderbilt freshman since 2009-10 to score 14 or more points and have two or more steals in each of their first six games.
The guard opened the week by scoring 22 points and dishing out a career-high eight assists in a 94-45 win over Hampton on Nov. 20. Blake scored or assisted a total of 41 points against Lady Pirates, contributing to 44 percent of Vanderbilt’s point total. Blakes shot a career-best 64.3 percent from the field, going 9-of-14 from the floor, and matched her career-best performance in steals with three. The Somerset, New Jersey, native followed that up with a 14-point, 5-assist effort in a 104-59 win over Samford on Nov. 22. She contributed a total of 25 points against the Bulldogs between points and assists.
The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team begins its run in the 2024 Acrisure Classic Tuesday against Arizona. Tipoff against the Wildcats is set for 3:30 p.m. CT and airs live on TruTV and streams simultaneously on HBO Max. The Commodores will challenge either California or Michigan State in game two. Tipoff for Wednesday’s contest will be either 1 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. CT on TruTV and HBO Max.
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