BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Sophomore Mikayla Blakes registered the first double-double of her collegiate career on Wednesday, as the All-American guard scored a season-high 30 points to go along with a personal-best 10 rebound to help the No. 17-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team cruise to an 87-49 victory over Western Kentucky inside E.A. Diddle Arena.
The All-American was efficient in her sixth career game with 30-plus points. Blakes shot 61.1 percent, going 11-of-18 from the floor, while hitting a season-best five 3-pointers. The 5-8 guard pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds to collect her first collegiate double-double. The guard also posted a season-best six steals, five of which came during the first two quarters of play.
With the victory, Vanderbilt improves to 4-0 on the year. It also marks the first time in program history that the Dores have begun four-straight seasons going undefeated through their first four contests.
Blakes was one of four Dores to score double figures on Wednesday. Graduate Sacha Washington tallied 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds, while senior Justine Picot registered 12 points with the help of four 3-point field goals. Graduate Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda rounded out the group with an 11-point effort.
The Commodores opened the game on a 14-3 run and never looked back. The only time Vandy trailed in the contest game came before the contest, as the Dores were given an administrative technical foul that gave Western Kentucky a 1-0 advantage before the opening tip. Vanderbilt’s lead was cut to nine points in the early stages of the second quarter, but a 17-4 spurt gave the Commodores a 22-point advantage. They would maintain a 20-plus point lead for the remainder of the contest.
Vanderbilt shot 44.0 percent from the floor and held Western Kentucky to 32.1 percent. The Dores had a 48-32 edge in rebounds, which led to a 24-9 edge in second-chance points. Vandy also forced WKU into 25 turnovers, which led to a 25-6 edge in points off turnovers for the Commodores.
The victory at Western Kentucky on Wednesday, coupled with last week’s win at Austin Peay, marks the first time since the 2013-14 season that the Commodores have picked up back-to-back true nonconference road wins.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Win
“I was really proud of our team today. It was a complete team win, and we had a lot of contributions from a lot of people. Jada Brown, Aga Makurat, Aiyana Mitchell and Aalyah Del Rosario each gave us great minutes off the bench, especially in the second half. With the week we have ahead of us, it’s good to kick it off with a win like this. I thought we were in sync, played hard, played together and had a great time.”
Up Next
Vanderbilt opens a brief two-game weekend homestand on Friday, as the Commodores host Alabama State for Education Day at Memorial Gymnasium. Tipoff against the Lady Hornets is set for 11 a.m. CT and streams live on SEC Network+.
Dore Notes
Follow Us
For more information and exclusive content on the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team, follow @VandyWBB on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter.
