After falling short against Kentucky in their first game of the year, the LSU Tigers yet again succumbed in front of another tough SEC opponent in Vanderbilt. The problem in Kim Mulkey’s team could be attributed to the turnovers (22-12), which were way above the admissible limit, and, of course, an underwhelming display by Flau’Jae Johnson, who had quite an uncharacteristic game.

” Would love to make an excuse for Flau’Jae. I don’t know the extent of the ankle, but yes, she came out, and did they retape it or something like that? But, I don’t know how bad it is,” came Kim Mulkey‘s honest answer as she was unwilling to throw her usually dependable guard under the bus.

Flau’Jae had a game that she would most likely want to forget soon, as she was unable to find the right side of the hoop even once. She played for the whole 19 minutes and, except for a lone assist and 3 rebounds, couldn’t find any rhythm. The performance made many reminisce about her 2023 game against the Gamecocks, which also had her exiting the game with 0 points to show.

Johnson’s tryst with the ankle injury has been ongoing since last November, when she limped off the court against Tulane early in the third quarter of their game. The absence was brief, however, as she rejoined the game soon, but the complication did not alleviate.

It keeps on stirring up trouble even now, that too unannounced, and makes it difficult for Flau’Jae to operate as efficiently as she would like to. What was even more shocking about Johnson’s inability to fashion a single point was the fact that she belongs to a team that is ranked the highest among all the other SEC teams in scoring offense.

LSU holds the top spot there with a PPG of 106 according to NCAA statistics, but the highest point the team could put together was 61, which is a huge departure from the consecutive 100’s they were notching up during the earlier phase of the season with Fulwiley and Johnson regularly hitting it over the 15 point mark. Well, while one team’s guard failed, the other team’s guard found success.

Unlike Flau’Jae Johnson, the Commodores’ Mikayla Blakes had no issues in showcasing her dominance over the game. She was the one running the show and was the catalyst behind Vanderbilt’s impressive victory that helped the team go 15-0 in the competition.

No-Fear Mentality of Mikayla Blakes Shines Through

“We said in the locker room, we’re not going to fear anybody. We’re going to go out on everybody, so I think I took that personally. I said I’m not going to fear anybody. We know LSU is really good, but we’re really good too, so we’re going to show everybody,” came the confident response of Mikayla Blakes during her post-game interview.

And Mikayla really did not just talk the talk with that one; she walked the walk. Blakes played a game where she was untouchable, and whatever she did turned into gold. She scored points (32), made assists (4), and wrestled the ball away (3 steals) when danger loomed over her team. And she has turned it into a habit of sorts.

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Whenever the team finds itself in trouble, she just thwarts it away, making the Commodores’ work look easy on court. This is exactly why she is ranked 4th in the NCAA rankings with a PPG of 24.7, barely a point shy of Hannag Hidalgo (25.5) and 5 points behind Audi Crooks (29.4). But beyond her on-court aggressive persona lies a player who puts the team above all and acknowledges the performances of her peers, just like she did with freshman Aubrey Galvan, who scored 14 points.

“She’s the best freshman in the country is my opinion,” came Blake’s response on how Galvan handled the bright lights of the regional conference.

Other than bestowing her with praise, Mikalya is also finding the time to mentor the young athletes coming into Vanderbilt, giving them confidence, and that is what makes her different. No wonder Kim Mulkey found it hard to take it past Mikayla and her team.