College basketball’s next phenom does something not even record-breaker Caitlin Clark managed
Have yourself a day Mikayla Blakes. The Vanderbilt freshman made college basketball history in the Commodores’ thrilling 98-88 OT victory over the Auburn Tigers. Blakes celebrated with her teammates after her historic performanceGetty Blakes put up numbers that not even Caitlin Clark touched. Blakes scored 55 points — a new Division 1 freshman scoring record. And she did so in breathtaking fashion. Vanderbilt was down 15 with 6:55 left in the game. That is when Blakes decided to go scorched earth. She scored 30 of her 55 points in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime, including hitting all three free throws after being fouled with less than a second left in regulation to send the game into overtime. It was Blakes’ second 50-point performance of the season. Not only was it a Division 1 freshman record, it was also a single-game SEC record. No one in the storied history of the SEC has scored more points in a game than Blakes. It was a historic performance for the ages. Blakes stunned the Auburn crowd with her performanceGetty She also became the first Division 1 player this century with 55 points and five assists. “I had to go out there and prove myself,” Blakes said postgame. “I just really had to dig deep and do what needed to be done for us to win today.” There’s digging deep, and then there’s doing what Blakes did on Sunday. There hasn’t been a freshman like Blakes since USC’s JuJu Watkins last season. However, even Watkins never had scoring performances as high as Blakes’. There’s a new phenom in college basketball. And she can be found in Nashville, Tennessee.
Have yourself a day Mikayla Blakes.
The Vanderbilt freshman made college basketball history in the Commodores’ thrilling 98-88 OT victory over the Auburn Tigers.
Blakes put up numbers that not even Caitlin Clark touched.
Blakes scored 55 points — a new Division 1 freshman scoring record.
And she did so in breathtaking fashion.
Vanderbilt was down 15 with 6:55 left in the game.
That is when Blakes decided to go scorched earth.
She scored 30 of her 55 points in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime, including hitting all three free throws after being fouled with less than a second left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
It was Blakes’ second 50-point performance of the season.
Not only was it a Division 1 freshman record, it was also a single-game SEC record.
No one in the storied history of the SEC has scored more points in a game than Blakes.
It was a historic performance for the ages.
She also became the first Division 1 player this century with 55 points and five assists.
“I had to go out there and prove myself,” Blakes said postgame.
“I just really had to dig deep and do what needed to be done for us to win today.”
There’s digging deep, and then there’s doing what Blakes did on Sunday.
There hasn’t been a freshman like Blakes since USC’s JuJu Watkins last season.
However, even Watkins never had scoring performances as high as Blakes’.
There’s a new phenom in college basketball.
And she can be found in Nashville, Tennessee.
