NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mikayla Blakes scored 30 points and No. 5 Vanderbilt staged a third-quarter comeback to beat Florida 82-66 on Sunday.
The Commodores scored a season-low 10 points in the first quarter and went into halftime down 35-25 after shooting just 32% from the floor. Blakes had just six points.
It was the third straight game Vanderbilt (21-2, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) fell behind early and struggled to recover, as it was outscored 33-16 by South Carolina and 23-15 by Mississippi in the first 10 minutes.
However, unlike the two former, the Commodores made a massive third-quarter push.
Blakes, the SEC’s leading scorer, immediately ignited the Commodores’ comeback in the third quarter scoring 14 points and shooting 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.
In the final 1:48 of the frame, Blakes scored eight of Vanderbilt’s final 11 points. She also added seven assists to her final total.
The Commodores scored 32 points in the third quarter, highlighted by a halfcourt buzzer beater from Aubrey Galvan. She finished with nine points after going scoreless in the first half.
Sacha Washington missed just one shot for the Commodores, scoring 14 points. Similar to Blake, she cleaned up at the line, shooting 4 of 6.
The SEC’s second-leading scorer, Florida’s Liv McGill, scored 21 points. Me’Arah O’Neal had 22 points as the pair was instrumental in putting Vanderbilt behind early in the game.
Florida (13-11, 1-8) has now lost three straight and eight of its last nine.
Things don’t get easier for the Commodores, as they face seven straight ranked opponents from Thursday through the start of the SEC Tournament. Four of those games are at home.
Up next
Florida: Hosts Auburn on Thursday night.
Vanderbilt: At No. 18 Kentucky on Thursday night.
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