Vanderbilt Women's Basketball Falls to Ole Miss 89-78 in SEC Quarterfinals Amid Coach Ralph's Ejection – avandatimes.com

Sport
Kevin
7 March 2026, 01:15 WIB
AVANDATIMES.COM – Vanderbilt women’s basketball saw its journey in the SEC Tournament conclude abruptly on Friday, March 6, 2026, suffering an 89-78 defeat against No. 24 Ole Miss in the quarterfinal round. The contest, held at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, marked the second time this season the Commodores have fallen to the Rebels.
Ole Miss established a commanding lead early in the game, overwhelming Vanderbilt with a 25-6 run in the first quarter. The Commodores struggled significantly from the field throughout the first half, trailing by a substantial 49-17 margin as teams headed into the locker rooms.
A key factor in Vanderbilt’s offensive struggles was the performance of star guard Mikayla Blakes, a potential National Player of the Year candidate. Blakes went scoreless in the first half, missing all ten of her field goal attempts. Her shooting woes continued into the third quarter, where she started 0-for-11 from the floor.
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The game took a dramatic turn early in the fourth quarter when Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph was ejected from the contest. The incident occurred after Ralph vehemently protested a missed personal foul call. The play in question involved Blakes stealing the ball off an inbound pass, only to be tripped by an Ole Miss player attempting to regain possession, a foul that was not called by the officials.
Despite the significant deficit and the coach’s ejection, Vanderbilt mounted a spirited comeback attempt. The team initiated a furious run to start the second half and later orchestrated a 17-0 surge in the fourth quarter, narrowing Ole Miss’s lead to just 11 points. However, the early deficit proved too large to overcome.
Following the game, Coach Ralph expressed pride in her team’s resilience. AvandaTimes noted that her post-game comments highlighted the team’s fighting spirit despite the disappointing outcome.
“First of all, congratulations to Ole Miss, and we’re continuing their journey for a championship. Secondly, I’m really proud of the fight that my team showed today. My team and my staff were amazing. I just told Sasha on the way over (to the press conference) that maybe I should have gotten kicked out sooner,” Ralph said. “In terms of the way that we played, the fight that we showed, that’s the team that I know. This changes nothing about our season. Changes nothing about what we’ve done. I think it only adds fuel to the fire for what’s ahead. I cannot wait to get back home to Vanderbilt, to Nashville, to regroup and compete for a championship in the NCAA tournament.”
With their SEC Tournament run concluded, the Commodores now turn their attention to Selection Sunday. Vanderbilt entered the week projected as a No. 2 seed and a potential host site for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, a prospect that remains a significant goal for the team.
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