Vanderbilt women's basketball defeats Texas as Mikayla Blakes scores 34 – The Tennessean

Vanderbilt women’s basketball notched its biggest win of the season, defeating No. 4 Texas, 86-70, at Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 12
No. 5 Vanderbilt (24-2, 10-2 SEC) got off to an early lead, with a 12-point advantage by the end of the first quarter and a 17-point lead by halftime.
The Longhorns (23-3, 8-3) attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter but ultimately the Commodores’ lead was too large.
Mikayla Blakes and Aubrey Galvan once again starred for the Commodores as Blakes made her case to be SEC Player of the Year over one of her main competitors, Texas’ Madison Booker. Booker had 20 points on 9-for-20 shooting with eight rebounds.
Blakes had her fourth straight 30-point game, finishing with 34, and put up three rebounds and three assists while Galvan put up 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Texas transfer Ndjakalenga Mwenantanda (11 points, six rebounds) and Sacha Washington (10 points, nine rebounds) also scored double-digits.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Aria Gerson
Texas made a charge in the fourth quarter, cutting Vanderbilt’s lead to 77-66 with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter.
Aria Gerson
Vanderbilt held the lead, 70-52, at the end of the third quarter. Blakes is up to 25 points while Galvan has 15 with eight rebounds.
Aria Gerson
Vanderbilt went on a 7-0 run in the third quarter that helped boost it to a 61-35 lead with 5:04 left in the period. Blakes is up to 21 points with Galvan up to 15.
Aria Gerson
Mikayla Blakes and Madison Booker are two candidates for SEC Player of the Year. Here were their stats at halftime:
Blakes: 15 points, 6-for-12 shooting, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Booker: 9 points, 4-for-8 shooting, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Aria Gerson
Texas called its second timeout as Vanderbilt went on a 7-0 run to go up, 34-21, with 5:07 left in the half. Aubrey Galvan is up to 11 points and Mikayla Blakes at 8.
Aria Gerson
Texas transfer Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda hit a 3-pointer to beat the first-quarter buzzer, putting Vanderbilt up 27-15 as the Commodores closed the period on a 7-0 run.
Aria Gerson
Vanderbilt went on a 14-0 run during the first quarter that forced Texas to call timeout with the Commodores off to an 18-7 lead with 3:21 to go in the first.
Aria Gerson
Both Vanderbilt and Texas will have their full rosters available for the game.
Aiyana Mitchell, who took a hit to the nose in a game against Oklahoma on Feb. 8, went through warmups as normal and was not wearing any kind of mask or protective covering.
Aria Gerson
Aria Gerson
Texas 86, Vanderbilt 79
Aria Gerson
Aria Gerson
Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you purchase through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.

source