Vanderbilt's women's basketball team improved to 19–7 on the season after defeating the Auburn Tigers 98–88, thanks to a historic performance from freshman guard Mikayla Blakes.
During the rout, Blakes scored 55 points, the most by a freshman in a Division I basketball game in history. That bested the previous record held by two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle-Donne, who scored 54 points as a freshman at the University of Delaware back in 2010. Her 55-point game was also the most points by an SEC player in conference history.
Blakes was on fire throughout the game, draining 15-of-28 field goal attempts. 23 of her 55 points came from the free-throw line, where she shot 23-of-24 in the win.
This wasn't the first time this season Blakes has surpassed 50 points in a game. Just over two weeks ago, during a Jan. 30 game against Florida, Blakes scored 53 points on 16-of-24 shooting.
Her 55-point outing was just shy of the women's all-time Division I record of 61 points, set by Kansas State's Ayoka Lee back in 2022. Blakes's big night is tied for the ninth most points in a single game in D-I history.
Blakes has been sensational for the Commodores during her freshman season. The 19-year-old is averaging 21.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting at a 46.2% clip. Now, she's etched her name into Division I college basketball lore.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes Leads Massive Comeback With D-I Record 55-Point Game.
