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Blakes scores 38 points, No. 5 Vanderbilt beats Mississippi State for first 18-0 start

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mikayla Blakes scored a season-high 38 points and No. 5 Vanderbilt won its school-record 18th straight game to open the season, beating Mississippi State 89-84 on Thursday night.

The Commodores are 5-0 in Southeastern Conference play for the first time since 1992-93, the season they opened 17-0. The 18-game winning streak is the longest in school history at any point in a season.

Blakes hit five 3-pointers, made 11 free throws without a miss and had seven assists. Justine Pissott added 12 points, and Aiyana Mitchell had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Vanderbilt broke it open with 21-6 run in the third quarter.

Madison Francis led Mississippi State (14-5, 1-4) with 15 points.

Up next

Vanderbilt: Plays Michigan on Monday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey

Mississippi State: Hosts Kentucky on Synday.

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Ex-KU star and NBA coach Jacque Vaughn steps in as interim coach for No. 19 Jayhawks at Colorado

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Former Kansas standout and NBA coach Jacque Vaughn will serve as the interim coach for the No. 19 Jayhawks on the road against Colorado on Tuesday night while Bill Self continues to recover from a precautionary trip to the hospital. Self was taken to LMH Health late Monday after feeling unwell. He received IV fluids and was released, the school said in a statement, but the 63-year-old Hall of Fame coach did not make the trip with the Jayhawks to Boulder, Colorado. Self has missed several games in recent years because of heart issues, including the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments in 2023, when he had two stents inserted to help treat blocked arteries. Self had two more stents inserted last July. In those cases, longtime assistant Norm Roberts served as the interim coach; he retired from coaching after last season.
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