Markurat scores 21, Blakes adds 19, No. 17 Vanderbilt beats Alabama State 92-38

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Aga Makurat hit five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points, Mikayla Blakes added 19 points, and No. 17 Vanderbilt never trailed on Friday as the Commodores beat Alabama State 92-38.

Sacha Washington and Ava Black added 11 points apiece for Vanderbilt (4-0) and Aiyana Mitchell scored 10.

Makurat 3-pointers 36 seconds apart to stretch Vanderbilt’s lead to 17-4 with 2:51 left in the first quarter. Ava Black and Makurat hit back-to-back 3 to give the Commodores a 15-point advantage going into the second quarter and they led by double figures the rest of the way.

Kaitlyn Bryant, Amari Franklin and Taylor Smith each scored nine points to lead Alabama State (1-4).

Vanderbilt outscored the Lady Hornets 19-7 from the free-throw line, scored 34 points off 26 Alabama State turnovers and turned 18 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points.

The Hornets shot 27% (13 of 48), made 5 of 18 (28%) from 3-point range and hit 7 of 14 from the free-throw line.

Kaia Ponder hit a jumper with 5:51 left in the first half and Alabama State didn’t make another field goal for nearly 10 minutes, when Charlese McClendon made a layup with 5:59 remaining in the third quarter.

Up next

Alabama State: The Lady Hornets host Division-II Auburn-Montgomery on Dec. 1.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores play Tennessee State at home on Sunday.

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