Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes sets SEC single-game scoring record with 53-point outburst in win over Florida

Vanderbilt freshman Mikayla Blakes set an SEC single-game scoring record by exploding for 53 points in the Commodores’ 99-86 win over Florida on Thursday night. 

Blakes’ 53 points are tied for the second-most points ever scored by a freshman in a Division I game, according to the NCAA record book and CBS Research. She trails only Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne, who scored 54 against James Madison in 2010, and is tied with Nevada’s Chris Starr, who also went for 53 back in 1983 against Sacramento State. Additionally, USC star Juju Watkins scored 51 in a game last year.

Blakes, who also set a school record on Thursday, is the only Division I basketball player — men’s or women’s — to top 50 points in a game this season. It’s the most points in a game by any player since Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee set the Division I record with 61 points against Oklahoma in 2022. 

The previous SEC record was 51 points. South Carolina’s Jocelyn Penn reached that mark in 2003, tying Tennessee’s Patricia Roberts (1976).

In the win, which improved the No. 23 Commodores to 18-4 (5-3 SEC) on the season, Blakes went 16 of 24 from the field, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range and 16 of 18 from the foul line. 

“Just come in the game and take over,” Blakes said when asked about her mindset coming into the game. “I think that’s the mindset for every single game coming in here, and just doing whatever my team needs me to do. They keep me positive when I feel like I’m missing shots.”

While it was an impressive career night, Blakes had already shown how powerful of a weapon she can be for Vanderbilt. The 5-foot-8 guard, a McDonald’s All-American, has been averaging 21 points per contest entering Thursday’s game. Her previous career high was 36 points against Georgia on Jan. 2. 

“Mikayla had one of the most incredible performances I’ve ever seen, and I’ve coached a lot of really good players,” said Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph while comparing Blakes to women’s basketball legend Maya Moore.

Ralph said during the game Blakes was upset at herself for missing some free throws and had no idea how many points she had scored.

With Blakes on the roster, Vanderbilt entered the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since 2014. The Commodores have beaten two ranked opponents — Tennessee and Alabama — for the first time since the 2015-16 season.