Despite 34 Points From Blakes, Lady Commodores Get Run Out of the Gym Against Oklahoma After Dismal Third Quarter
Vanderbilt Freshman sensation Mikayla Blakes gave it her best shot, but even 34 points from her alone couldn't help the Lady Commodores on Thursday night after Oklahoma put up 34 points in the third quarter alone en route to a 20-point win.
The final score sat at 101-81 when the dust settled, and Sooner junior forward Reagan Beers answered Blakes with a 30-piece of her own on 11-13 shooting. And while Beers' performance was more than noteworthy, the Oklahoma defensive performance desserves the spotlight here, too.
The only player outside of Blakes to manage double figures for the Lady Commodores was Khamil Pierre, and even that was just 11 points on 3-14 shooting. However, the scoring numbers and point production weren't near as much of a factor as the wholloping that Vanderbilt took during the third quarter, which proved to be the dagger come the final buzzer.
In one of the worst defensive quarters of the season thus far, Oklahoma did put up 34 points. How did Vanderbilt respond? With just 17 points of its own. Less than ideal, some might say. Now at 19-8 overall, Vanderbilt is likely to suffer two straight losses with No. 6 South Carolina visiting Nashville on Sunday.
That short rest may not be ideal, but it does serve as an opportunity for the women's squad to, if at least not get a win, put up a competitive showing at home. If they can do that, Texas A&M awaits on the other side just four days after the USC game.
Tourney Talk
While it may seem like the men's side of the SEC has garnered all the attention this season, the women's side of the SEC is just as loaded.
Before tonight's game, Vanderbilt sat at 23 in the NET rankings. Where was Oklahoma, one might ask? Ranked at spot No. 17. In essence, the loss may not hurt Vanderbilt in the NET all that bad, but if the trend becomes more consistent, things could spiral at the worst possible time for the Lady Commodores.
Tanner Marlar has covered collegiate athletics at the local and national levels for nearly a decade. As a former beat writer, Tanner strives to give thought provoking and exciting coverage to readers who want to know the very best current information about their team.