KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mikaela Blakes scored 34 points to lead No. 5 Vanderbilt to an 87-77 victory over Tennessee on Sunday.
Black went on a 12-2 run late in the third quarter, scoring eight points for the Commodores (27-3, 13-3 Southeastern Conference). Aubrey Galvan scored 24 points and Sacha Washington had 16 points and eight rebounds.
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Talaysia Cooper scored 23 points as the Volunteers (16-12, 8-8) lost their sixth straight game. Janiah Barker had 17 points and eight rebounds, Nya Robertson had 12 points and Zee Spearman had 10 points.
Cooper scored 11 points in the second quarter (14 in the first half) to help Tennessee lead 43-37 at halftime. Buck led the way with 15 points. Galvan added 12 points and Blakes added 11 points for the Commodores.
While Tennessee plays one of the toughest schedules in the country, playing without a ranking, Blake has scored 30 or more points in five straight games against ranked teams. The win over the Vols was Vandy’s 13th SEC win and the most in program history.
Meanwhile, the Vols are struggling. On ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Feb. 22, former Tennessee player Andraya Carter (2012-16) said the current team “has no faith” and doesn’t know who to turn to. Coach Kim Caldwell addressed that observation after Thursday’s loss to LSU.
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“I think it’s fair to say that the people who are the most critical to this program are the people who built this program,” Caldwell said.
Next
The University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt will play in the SEC Championship Game next week in Greenville, South Carolina.
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