Why Mikayla Blakes' 13th 30-point game for Vanderbilt was expected in March Madness – The Tennessean

None of Mikayla Blakes’ Vanderbilt women’s basketball teammates really notice anymore when she puts up a 30-point performance.
Not even when that performance comes during March Madness.
Blakes had to be informed that she put up her 13th 30-point game of the season as No. 2 seed Vanderbilt basketball defeated No. 15 seed High Point, 102-61, in the first round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament on March 21 at Memorial Gymnasium. She didn’t know that she’d set the school’s single-season scoring record, either.
Blakes scored her 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting, plus 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, and also put up three rebounds and five assists.
“It’s hard to talk about because everybody doesn’t give her enough praise,” Justine Pissott said. “It’s just another casual game for her. She doesn’t even worry about that. She doesn’t care. I said to her every game, I say, ‘You know you had 30,’ she says no. So I think that just goes to show the type of player she is.”
Vanderbilt plays No. 7 seed Illinois, a 66-57 winner over No. 10 seed Colorado, on March 23 (6 p.m. CT, ESPN2) at Memorial Gymnasium.
Blakes confirmed in the locker room postgame that she wasn’t aware it was her 13th 30-point game of the season, nor that she’d set the school’s single-season scoring record. What she did care about was that Vanderbilt (28-4) had won the game, advancing to the second round with a shot to go to the Sweet Sixteen.
Last season, Blakes fouled out shortly after the start of overtime in a first-round loss to Oregon. It’s safe to say that loss has now been avenged.
“That was my goal coming into this year, not to be able to let the team down,” Blakes said. “And I feel like today, I was just excited. I knew it’s a group of people we were going to have. Everybody’s going to play really hard, because our goal is to go far in March, and we all want to do the same thing, so to be able to redeem myself, it feels good.”
Blakes’ teammates certainly contributed too. Aubrey Galvan, the SEC Freshman of the Year in her first-ever March Madness game, scored 17 with six assists and four steals. Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda and Sacha Washington each put up double-doubles, with Washington having 10 points and 17 rebounds and Mwenentanda having 10 points and 11 rebounds. Overall, the Commodores out-rebounded High Point (27-6), 56-26.
It won’t be this easy for Blakes or Vanderbilt going forward. The Commodores know that. They faced an SEC gauntlet and put up their most conference wins ever (13), but they also lost to a team that ended up being a 7-seed (Georgia) and twice to a team that ended up a 5-seed (Ole Miss).
But Blakes can score against any defense. She put up 30 points against seven different NCAA Tournament teams this season, including a 1-seed in Texas.
“She works really, really hard to do the things that she does to make them look very easy, and we are witnessing a generational player, and I don’t throw that around,” Ralph said. “That kid is different. She’s built differently, internally, externally, she’s the nicest kid on the planet and will come out of the court and absolutely rip your heart out of your chest in a bunch of different ways, and you’ll still want to give her a hug after the game.”
When asked what their favorite parts of watching Blakes were, Vanderbilt teammates had a different answer. Sacha Washington said it was when she scores the ball. For Mwenentanda, it was when she gets a steal. For Aiyana Mitchell, it was her step-back.
But Pissott might have summed it up best.
Her favorite thing to watch Blakes do? “Step on the court.”
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.

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