By Lindsay Schnell, Joe Rexrode and Grace Raynor
Vanderbilt freshman guard Mikayla Blakes has outdone herself, scoring 55 points in a 98-88 overtime win Sunday at Auburn to break both the SEC single-game scoring mark and Division I freshman scoring record — records she previously set with a 53-point outburst in a Jan. 30 win at Florida.
This historic performance was much more dramatic, and necessary, for a Vanderbilt team that trailed 74-59 with 6:23 left in regulation. Blakes scored 19 points from there to send the game to overtime, including three maximum-pressure free throws with 0.9 of a second remaining after she was fouled on a 3-point try. All three swished, tying the score at 84-84.
“Make the free throws,” Blakes told SEC Network of her mindset in that moment. “I mean, you can’t really feel pressure there. Just take my breath, my teammates told me, ‘You’ve got this, we believe in you.’ I believed in myself, too. There was a lot of butterflies walking to the free-throw line.”
Blakes got right to the rim to start overtime, and the Commodores (19-7, 6-6 SEC) kept the lead from there. She had 11 points in the extra session, helping Vanderbilt avoid what would have been a damaging fourth loss in a row. Blakes finished 15-for-28 from the floor and…
