Vanderbilt sophomore Mikayla Blakes enters historic scoring territory in victory over Alabama – MARCA

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The No. 5 ranked Commodores secure an 85-60 win as their star guard surpasses a consecutive scoring milestone previously held by Caitlin Clark
While the national conversation in women’s college basketball often revolves around established legacies, the Vanderbilt Commodores are currently focused on a sophomore guard who is quietly rewriting the record books.
On Thursday night at Memorial Gymnasium, Mikayla Blakes delivered a staggering 35-point performance to lead her team to an 85-60 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Beyond the immediate win, the evening was defined by Blakes entering a scoring stratosphere that was once the exclusive domain of former Iowa sensation Caitlin Clark.
By hitting the 35-point mark, Blakes secured her fifth consecutive 30-point game against a ranked opponent during the 2025-26 NCAA season.
This remarkable consistency officially moved her past the four-game stretch of 30-point performances against Top 25 teams that Clark achieved during her tenure at the University of Iowa.
As the regular season winds down and the postseason begins to loom on the horizon, Vanderbilt’s primary offensive weapon is operating at a level of efficiency that few in the history of the sport have ever matched.
Despite the historic nature of her individual statistics, Blakes remains focused on the immediate task at hand rather than the accolades that follow her performances.
In a postgame interview, the sophomore admitted that she rarely processes the magnitude of these milestones in real time.
For the Commodores, the record-breaking numbers are viewed as a necessary tool for team success rather than the end goal itself.
“I would say I do soak it in a little bit when I see it. Normally, in the moment, like you just told me, but really, I wouldn’t know until I got home, and probably somebody texted it to me. But yeah, I enjoy it. I’m trying to stay in the moment, live in the moment, and be joyful. So being able to acknowledge those types of things is exciting, but there’s still more work to be done,” Mikayla Blakes said.
This sentiment is echoed by the coaching staff, who have worked to build a culture where individual highlights are secondary to the final score.
Head coach Shea Ralph provided a blunt assessment of her star player’s priorities, suggesting that the guard’s lack of awareness regarding her records stems from her singular focus on the win-loss column.
Ralph made it clear that while the 35 points were essential for handling the Crimson Tide, the total could vary wildly depending on what the game flow demands.
“The only thing that she cares about is winning. So if she has to score 50 for us to win, she will. If it’s three and we win, she’s fine. So that’s why she has no idea. But if we don’t win, then you’re going to see a different side of her,” she revealed.
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