Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt’s freshman basketball sensation, is rewriting NCAA history books while facing intensified defensive pressure. The 5-foot-8 guard scored 55 points against Auburn on February 16 – breaking her own NCAA freshman single-game record set just 17 days prior – cementing her status as one of college basketball’s most explosive talents.
Blakes now ranks second in SEC scoring (23.3 PPG) and has five 30+ point games this season. Her 55-point performance included 23/24 free throws and a jaw-dropping 30-point surge during the final 10:25 of regulation and overtime.
“She’s very, very efficient,”said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley after containing Blakes to 19 points in their matchup.
The New Jersey native’s achievements place her in elite company:
- Ninth-highest single-game scoring performance in NCAA women’s history
- First player since Patricia Hoskins (1989) with multiple 53+ point games in a season
- Only SEC athlete since Candace Parker (2006) to win Player and Freshman of the Week simultaneously
Blakes’ competitive drive fuels her success.
“She hates losing more than she loves winning,”revealed brother Jaylen Blakes, a Stanford guard who witnessed her Auburn heroics. This mentality helped Vanderbilt secure its first back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids since 1993.
Despite heavy recruitment from Stanford, UCLA, and Tennessee, Blakes chose Vanderbilt to build a legacy. Coach Shea Ralph emphasizes balancing her star power:
“She’s done it in moments where we’ve really needed it – but she also has to get a little bit of help.”
As Vanderbilt prepares for Texas A&M, analysts compare Blakes’ late-game dominance to LeBron James – both share the rare feat of scoring 55+ points while playing every second of a game since 2005. With March Madness approaching, all eyes remain on this record-shattering freshman.
