Blakes scored her sixth 30 point game of the season
Mikayla Blakes and the Dores Win Big
The Commodores were back in Memorial Gymnasium for a Sunday deal with the Florida Gators, and the No. 5 team in the country finally looked like themselves for the first time in 10 days, but it took a half to get there. The struggling Gators came in having lost seven of eight games in the month of January, and after a strong first half from the Gators, Vanderbilt would find themselves and come out on top 82-66.
Florida would open the game on a 6–0 run before Justine Pissott hit a step back midrange shot with 7:14 to go in the first quarter. The Gators came out strong defensively and on the boards. Pissott wasted no time hitting a three today, draining her first one early on and scoring the first five for Vanderbilt.
Going into the first media timeout with 4:58 in the opening quarter, Florida held a 10-5 advantage and their best player Liv McGill hadn’t taken a shot yet. The Dores came out of the timeout and turned up the defensive intensity and on the boards.
Justine Pissott was on it on both ends of the floor, contesting shots, grabbing rebounds, and scoring. Pissott led with eight points in the first, but Florida held a 19-10 advantage after one.
The Gators overall were attacking better, and getting some open shots in defensive breakdown situations that Vanderbilt had to clean up. Also, other than Justine Pissott’s three makes, Vanderbilt just shot poorly in the early going.
The Gators opened up to a 25-10 lead with 7:49 to go in the second quarter, and Me’Arah O’Neal had put up 10 points. Vanderbilt on the other hand had only hit at a 20% rate to that point, and were doubled up on the boards.
Bench production is something that Vanderbilt has to possess going deeper into the season. Last game against Ole Miss, the bench did not score a point.
Ava Black made an appearance coming out of the timeout, and immediately got fastbreak points off a steal from Mikayla Blakes. The Dores also brought Aga Makurat on the floor and she drained a three off the bench to put Vandy within eight points with 5:32 to go in the half.
Vanderbilt flipped a switch and the hustle and grit was there. Blakes took charges, and got after it on the defensive end, and Ava Black’s contributions off the bench was huge. Black brought the hustle and effort that was badly needed in the first half, and helped the Commodores go on a 13-2 run to cut the deficit to 27-25 with a little over three minutes left in the half.
However, Florida would close the half on a 7-0 run to lead 34-25. Vanderbilt had to figure out a way to consistently handle the swing better on the defensive end. The Gators were able to get some wide open shots due to players not being in the right spot defensively.
On the offensive end, Vandy needed more penetration to draw contact and get to the line. The Commodores did not visit the free throw line a single time in the opening half, and 19 of their 34 shots were from beyond the arc with only three makes.
The Dores would in fact go to the paint with Sacha Washington coming out of the half, and it worked. Washington would score the first six points for Vanderbilt, and then Mikayla Blakes followed up with an attack-and-one. I felt coming into this one that Sacha Washington was a mismatch for the Gators in the paint, and she started to impose her will after half.
Vanderbilt went on a 12-0 run to take the lead 40-39 with 4:21 left in the third quarter, and the offensive plan was working. Aubrey Galvan got going with a couple of attacks and short range drops. Mikayla Blakes also entered the chat with pesky defense and a quick eight points were a part of an 14-2 run to give Vanderbilt a 57-46 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
The Commodores third quarter was topped off with a buzzer beating deep three from Aubrey Galvan, and that got Memorial on their feet. The third quarter performance from Vanderbilt on both ends of the court was what I expected to see from the beginning, but better late than never.
The Dores kept the pressure up with Sacha Washington and Mikayla Blakes continuing their print on this game. The flip of activity and intensity in the second half was exactly what Vanderbilt has done in second half of ball games for the most part this season, and today was the latest example.
Vanderbilt built a 70-55 lead with 5:00 to go in the game, and Mikayla Blakes was in her bag, running her total to 28 on 10 of 20 shooting, with six assists and five rebounds to that point. She would finish with 30 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and four steals. That was Blakes’ sixth 30 point game of the season, and she scored 24 of those points in the second half.
I asked her after the game, just how she does what she does?
“ I couldn’t tell you the answer, but I just think it’s my competitiveness and not wanting to lose and just putting my body on the line for this team. Like, I’ll run through a brick wall for this team, and do what I’m needed of from them,” said Blakes.
“So I think. Giving, getting a couple points was good for our energy, but then also trying to find my teammates today. I think they were open around the three, so continue to get them involved and I had the utmost confidence in them that they’re gonna make shots.”
Justine Pissott added a couple of late threes along with Aga Makurat to help build the final score of 82-66. This team showed once again what happens when they play big time basketball. It took a half to get it going, but when they started clicking, it was a breeze from there.
Makurat’s contribution off the bench was well needed today, and will be as this season moves on. I asked her how it felt to contribute today, after not playing much this season.
“ I mean, obviously like it’s a good feeling after, like, not playing a lot for longer periods of time, but it feels good,” Makurat said. “It feels good to be on the floor with people like Mikayla. It’s easy, it’s easy to play with her. So, it was a good night. We needed energy and I feel like the bench brought it, so I’m glad I could be a part of it.”
The bench definitely brought the energy, and the play of Sacha Washington to begin the second half was what began the flip for Vanderbilt, in my opinion.
When the paint became dominated by her, and the team themselves began to attack, that is what asserted the dominance needed to take this game over. Eighteen second half points in the paint would give them a 32-26 advantage for the game.
Coach Shea Ralph’s answer to my question of what took so long to get that plan going, was more suited for the team but she broke it down.
“ I honestly, you probably should ask the kids that. I don’t know. You know, I know that I got in their butts a little bit and maybe that helped. I think too, we just have to keep working on it,” said Shea Ralph.
“And so we only had a day, you know, I thought that was a difference for us, in the second half against Ole Miss. And we only really had a day to continue to work on it, but when we get paint touches, and it doesn’t even have to be Sasha, it can be some of our bigger guards, it can be Mitch, we get the ball inside and out. It just opens the floor up more.”
“Everybody on the floor has to be a threat to score. We can’t just give the ball to Aubrey and Makayla and think that they’re gonna make superhero plays every time down the floor.”
Vanderbilt’s defensive intensity also played a huge difference in the second half. The Dores finished with 33 points off 23 Florida turnovers. All of the right things happened in the second half, and the Dores came out on top.
The Commodores will now go back on the road for a meeting in Lexington, Kentucky on Thursday night with the Wildcats.
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