Q&A: Vanderbilt star Mikayla Blakes 'won't be denied'

Mikayla Blakes' scoring prowess was on full display Saturday as Vanderbilt dismantled the High Point Panthers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Vandy's SEC Player of the Year finished the game with 30 points, shooting an efficient 11-16 from the field. This season, Blakes averaged 30.

5 points per game for the Commodores in SEC play. She is the first SEC player since 2000 to average 30 points in conference play and her 27-point average per game tops D1 college basketball for both women's and men's. Blakes is on a mission to restore Vanderbilt to a perennial contender.

Ahead of the NCAA Tournament, she sat down with NBC Sports and, among other things, expressed her desire to win a championship. Mikayla Blakes' interview with NBC Sports was lightly edited for length and clarity . You're the first sophomore [SEC Player of the Year] since A'ja Wilson in 2016.

What was your initial reaction when you found out that you won, and what does it mean to you to win that award? Mikayla Blakes : Yeah, it was just pure excitement. And for me, it just felt more of like a team award because I couldn't get it without them and my staff as well.