NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mikaela Blakes scored 30 points and fifth-ranked 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 trailing 35-25 on just 32 percent shooting. Blake scored just six points.
advertise
It was the third straight game that Vanderbilt (21-2, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) fell behind early and struggled to tie, trailing South Carolina 33-16 and Mississippi State 23-15 in the opening 10 minutes.
However, unlike the first two, the Commodores made a huge push in the third quarter.
Blake, the SEC’s leading scorer, immediately ignited the Commodores’ comeback in the third quarter, scoring 14 points on 7-for-7 shooting from the free throw line.
Blakes scored eight of Vanderbilt’s final 11 points in the final 1:48. She also added seven more assists to her final total.
advertise
The Commodores scored 32 points in the third quarter, highlighted by Aubrey Galvan’s halftime buzzer-beater. After going scoreless in the first half, she finished with nine points.
Sacha Washington missed just one shot for the Commodores and scored 14 points. Similar to Blake, she cleaned up at the free throw line, going 4-for-6.
Florida’s Liv McGill, the SEC’s second-leading scorer, scored 21 points. Me’Arah O’Neal scored 22 points, and the two helped Vanderbilt fall behind early in the game.
Florida State (13-11, 1-8) has lost three straight and eight of its past nine games.
Things don’t get any easier for the Commodores, as they will face seven ranked opponents starting Thursday through the start of the SEC Tournament. Four of the games were played at home.
advertise
Next
Florida State: Host Auburn on Thursday night.
Vanderbilt: At No. 18 Kentucky on Thursday night.
___
Get AP Top 25 poll alerts and updates all season long. Register here and here (AP mobile app). AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
