Vanderbilt Commodores Rising Star Leading NCAA Freshmen in Scoring
Vanderbilt Commodores women’s basketball star Mikayla Blakes is not only coming off the greatest single-game performance by a freshman in program history but she’s also outscoring every true freshman in the country entering this weekend’s action.
Blakes is averaging 20.3 points going into Sunday’s SEC showdown with Kentucky.
Her 36 points against Georgia earlier this week helped the Commodores (14-1, 1-0 in SEC) defeat the Bulldogs, 108-82, in their highest-scoring game of the season. This is the first time Vanderbilt has won its SEC opener in back-to-back seasons.
Blakes has the biggest game by any Commodore women’s player in history after she scored 34 points against the Bulldogs. The previous record, set by Barbara Brackman, had stood for more than 42 years. She scored 34 against Tennessee on Feb. 26, 1982. That was the first season the NCAA sponsored women’s basketball.
Mikayla Blakes’ 36-point performance is the most scored by a DI freshman so far this season. 🌟
— Vanderbilt WBB (@VandyWBB) January 3, 2025
Blakes currently leads the nation’s freshmen in scoring, totaling 305 points and averaging 20.3 points per game.#AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/tdmXMKRJhG
Blakes’ night also marked the most points scored by any freshman in Division I women’s basketball so far this season.
She had not scored 30 or more points in a game before Thursday, but it was her ninth game this season with 20 or more points, which set a new school record for most 20-point games by a freshman.
Blakes is the latest big recruiting pull in coach Shea Ralph’s short tenure with the Commodores. She is the third McDonald’s All-American Ralph has brought to Nashville, joining Jordyn Oliver and Justine Pissott.
But, Blakes is the highest-ranked prospect Ralph has ever signed. The Rutgers Prep product was ranked No. 8 in the Class of 2024 by HoopGurlz/espnW and was considered a five-star recruit coming out of Franklin Township, N.J.
She was selected 2024 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year, named a Jordan Brand Classic All-American and represented Team USA at the second annual Nike Brand Hoops Summit. She also played with Pissott for Philly Rise on the under-17 Nike EYBL circuit.
Vanderbilt received 28 votes in the latest AP Top 25, released on Monday. The Commodores were the first team outside the rankings.
Vandy also remained a No. 4 seed in the latest ESPN Bracketology, released on Friday. That would allow the Commodores to host first- and second-round games at Memorial Gymnasium.
Ralph helped Vandy snap a 10-year NCAA playoff drought last year. The UConn legend took over as head coach in 2021.
The Commodores went 23-10 last season, with a 9-7 record in the SEC and a sixth-place finish for a team that was projected to finish last in the league.
