Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes is AP women’s basketball player of the week

The Associated Press national player of the week in women’s college basketball for Week 15 of the season:

Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt

The freshman guard set the NCAA freshman single-game scoring record with 55 points against Auburn. It was the ninth most points scored in NCAA history and joined Patricia Hoskins of Mississippi Valley State as the only players to score 53 or more points twice in the same season. She averaged 34.5 points in the Commodores two games while shooting 63.6% from the field. She made 23 of 24 free throws in her 55-point game.

Runner-Up

JuJu Watkins, USC. The sophomore guard had 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks and five assists in USC’s upset of No. 1 UCLA. Her blocks set a career high and were tied for third-most in a game by a Trojans player. Watkins now ranks No. 13 all-time at USC with 1,507 career points. The win over UCLA was USC’s first over an AP top-ranked opponent since 1983.

Honorable Mention

Katie Dinnebier, Drake; Azzi Fudd, UConn; Reniya Kelly, North Carolina.

Keep an eye on

Oral Roberts junior guard Taleyah Jones averaged 29 points in wins over Omaha and Kansas City. She led the squad to back-to-back 100-point efforts — the first time the school’s done that in league play since the 2010-11 season. She had 30 points in the win over Omaha and followed it up with 28 against Kansas City.

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