AP women’s basketball player of the week is No. 5 Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes

The Associated Press national player of the week in women’s basketball for Week 17 of the season:

Mikayla Blakes, Iowa

The sophomore guard led No. 5 Vanderbilt to wins over Alabama and Tennessee last week, averaging 34.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists. She is the first SEC player in the past 26 years to have scored 30 or more points in a dozen games. She had 34 points against Tennessee and 35 against Alabama.

Runner-up

Olivia Olson, No. 8 Michigan. She led the Wolverines to wins over then-No. 13 Ohio State and 14th-ranked Maryland. Olson, a sophomore, had a career-high 31 points, including the game-winning layup in overtime, in the victory over the Buckeyes. She also had nine rebounds and four assists in that win. She followed that up with a 28-point effort against the Terrapins.

Honorable mention

Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame; Marta Suarez, No. 10 TCU; Riley Weiss, Columbia.

Keep an eye on

Marquette junior guard Skylar Forbes averaged 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in wins over Providence and Xavier. She had 24 in a road win over Providence, two off her career high. She scored 12 of her 19 points in the first half of a win over Xavier.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

AP women's basketball player of the week is No. 5 Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes | iNFOnews.ca
Michigan guard Olivia Olson (1) drives to the basket between UCLA defenders Angela Dugalić, left, and Gianna Kneepkens, right, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Lon Horwedel)

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.