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Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes sets NCAA freshman single-game scoring record with 53 points
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- Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes sets NCAA freshman single-game scoring record with 53 points
Vanderbilt freshman guard Mikayla Blakes has etched her name in the history books.
Blakes scored a career-high 53 points in Vanderbilt's 99-86 win over Florida on Thursday at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, setting a new NCAA record for the most points scored in a game by a freshman.
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Blakes scored 32 of her 53 points in the second half. She shot 16-of-24 from the field overall and 5-of-9 from 3, finishing with three rebounds, three steals and two assists. Her 53 points also sets the Vanderbilt women's basketball scoring record.
Following the historic game, Blakes posed with a white sheet of paper inscribed with the number "53," a nod to the photo of Wilt Chamberlain after his 100-point game.
Blakes surpassed the previous NCAA freshman single-game scoring record set by USC guard JuJu Watkins , who dropped 51 points against Stanford on Feb. 2, 2024. Watkins went on to be named the USBWA National Freshman of the Year last season. Blakes has emerged as a top candidate for the honor this year.
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In her first 21 collegiate games, Blakes is averaging 21 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals for the Commodores. Thursday marked Blakes' 14th game of the season with 20-plus points and her third game with 30-plus points.
Head coach Shea Ralph said it was "one of the most incredible performances that I've ever seen as a coach."
"I've coached a lot of really good players for a long time," Ralph said. "When you see a player like her do what she did tonight, sometimes she makes things that are really, really hard to do look really easy. That's the sign of someone who is just gifted. And the cool thing is that she has those gifts physically, but she's built different internally, which is why you see her do this day in and day out. The things that she does that aren't in the spotlight, that aren't in buildings with scoring records, are just as impressive."
Ralph added: "I'm glad she's on our team, I'll say that."
The 5-foot-8 guard is from Somerset, New Jersey. Her brother Jaylen played collegiate basketball at Duke.
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Vanderbilt's win marked the Commodores' first win over Florida on the road since Feb. 19, 2015. Vanderbilt (18-4, 5-3 SEC) extends its winning streak to four games, all over SEC teams (vs. Tennessee, vs. Arkansas, at Alabama, at Florida.)
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mikayla Blakes points tonight: Vanderbilt freshman has record game
