Vanderbilt’s big 3 Mikayla Blakes, Iyana Moore, Khamil Pierre combine for 63 points to eliminate #18 Tennessee from SEC tournament

The Vanderbilt Commodores relied on the talents of their big three to topple the No. 18 Tennessee Lady Vols on Thursday. Mikayla Blakes, Iyana Moore and Khamil Pierre combined to score 63 points to eliminate Tennessee from the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Blakes, Vandy's leading scorer, was at her volume-scoring best, putting up 24 points and four assists. Her high motor shone brightly as she was just a minute shy of playing 40 minutes.

Iyana Moore had the best-rounded scoring game. She amassed a stat line of 23 points off 8-for-11 shooting from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. She also added four rebounds and two assists.

However, it was Khamil Pierre who was the defensive star of the trio for Vanderbilt (22-9). She totaled 16 points, 15 rebounds, three steals and two assists. She was the glue player to everything positive about the Commodores' play versus Tennessee (22-9).

Is Vanderbilt's big three entering the WNBA after the 2024/25 season?

Thankfully for the Vanderbilt Commodores fan base, at least two members of their big three will stick around for a minimum of one more year. The only member of the terrific trio who might enter the WNBA soon is Iyana Moore.

Moore is a senior who has been with the Commodores since the 2021-22 season. In her early collegiate days, she was a spark plug from the bench but has since become an integral part of the starting lineup.

As for Mikayla Blakes and Khamil Pierre, they could be at Vandy for some time. Blakes is in her freshman year while Pierre is enjoying her sophomore season. Both are integral to every positive thing that Vanderbilt does.

In the meantime, they'll be waiting for their next opponents in the SEC tournament after vanquishing the Tennessee Lady Vos. Their fans will be rather optimistic about their chances of going far in the tournament due to the form of their big three and the rest of the roster looking pretty healthy at the business end of the collegiate hoops season.