NASHVILLE — Mikayla Blakes posted 20 points to lead five Vanderbilt scorers in double figures, and the seventh-ranked Commodores stayed undefeated, beating Missouri 99-68 in a Southeastern Conference women’s basketball matchup Thursday night at Memorial Gymnasium.
Vanderbilt (16-0, 3-0) is a win away from matching the 17-0 start by the 1992-93 squad, the only team in program history to reach the NCAA Final Four.
Blakes, a sophomore who entered as the SEC’s leading scorer this season with her average of 25.2 points per game, struggled with only eight points through three quarters before her shots started falling. Aubrey Galvan added 19 points for the Commodores, Sacha Washington added 15 with 16 rebounds for a double-double, and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda and Justine Pissott also scored 15 apiece.
The Commodores have won three straight in their all-time series with Missouri, which lost for only the second time when visiting Memorial Gym, dropping to 6-2.
Missouri (12-6, 0-3) and first-year coach Kellie Harper — a former Tennessee point guard who was the head coach of the Lady Volunteers from 2019-24 and spent last season as an SEC Network analyst — wrapped up a tough opening stretch to SEC play. The Tigers lost to No. 2 Texas at home, then fell to No. 11 Kentucky before coming to Nashville.