Ole Miss WBB Advances to SEC Tournament Semifinals With Massive Win Over Vanderbilt – Sports Illustrated

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GREENVILLE, S.C. – A dominant showcase on both ends of the court led No. 24/23 Ole Miss women’s basketball to a win over No. 5/5 Vanderbilt Friday evening, 89-78, to advance to the 2026 SEC Tournament Semifinals at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Friday evening.
The Rebels (23-10, 8-8 SEC) have defeated the Commodores (27-4, 13-3 SEC) seven times in a row, dating to 2022. Ole Miss has also bested Vanderbilt twice in one season in back-to-back years. Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is now 6-0 against Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph.
McPhee-McCuin has guided Ole Miss to three victories over top five opponents this season, which is the first time in program history. Last time the Rebels beat three top 10 opponents in a season was in the legendary 2006-07 year.
The win also signifies Ole Miss’ first victory over Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament. Ole Miss has reached the semifinal round of the tournament for the fourth time in five years, and the first time since 2024. This is also the first time the Rebels will have played in three games at the SEC Tournament since 1993.
Ole Miss’ 89 points marks the third-most by a Rebel squad in the conference tournament in program history. It’s also the 15th game this season Ole Miss has reached the 80-point plateau, which is tied for the third most in single season program history. Additionally, the Rebels dished 22 assists in the game, which marks the fifth-most in single-game conference tournament history.
Latasha Lattimore and Cotie McMahon were offensively dominant over the Commodores, scoring 28 and 27 points, respectively. Lattimore led the Rebels with eight rebounds and shot 92.3% from the field, which is the third highest field goal percentage in an SEC Tournament game.
McMahon paced Ole Miss in assists with a season-high seven, while also making 15 free throws on the night, tying for the most made by an individual player in SEC Tournament history.
Tianna Thompson also showcased strong shooting, going 7-for-10 from the field with two threes. She finished the day with 16 points and a team-leading two steals.
Ole Miss set the tempo early, as Jayla Murray scored quickly for the Rebels, starting the day with two quick layups. Vanderbilt struggled mightily to score, missing 15 of its first 16 field goal attempts. The Rebels took advantage of the Commodores’ slow offense and took a 13-2 lead early.
Thompson drained a three to put the Rebels on top by nine, then followed up with stingy post defense to force a bad shot, which led to the sophomore converting a fast break layup.
After the media timeout, Ole Miss continued to pressure the paint, scoring eight unanswered points in the paint from both Thompson and Lattimore.
Thompson increased the effort and put Ole Miss in front by 20 with her second triple of the day, which McMahon extended further with a trio free throws. In doing so and allowing just one more field goal from the Commodores, the Rebels held a commanding 25-6 lead going into the second quarter.
Vanderbilt’s score matched that of Auburn’s first quarter score in yesterday’s second round match, making Ole Miss the first team in the SEC Tournament to hold two opponents to six points or less in a quarter since South Carolina in 2016.
Despite the Commodores scoring the first five points of the second quarter, the Rebels got those points right back with some extra. McMahon and Lattimore made a trey each, and Lattimore and Thompson capped another scoring run with layups. This forced a Vanderbilt timeout, but it wouldn’t slow Ole Miss. McMahon and Lattimore continued to pour on points as the defense kept frustrating Vanderbilt’s offense. Ole Miss closed the half on an eight-point scoring run, putting it in front, 49-17.
Ole Miss’ 32-point lead entering the second half is the largest lead the Rebels have possessed this season. The second best came yesterday when Ole Miss led Auburn by 28 points at the halftime break. Lattimore, Thompson and McMahon all had double-digit points going into the second half.
Turnovers set Ole Miss and Vanderbilt apart in the first half. The Rebels scored 21 points off 11 first half turnovers from the Commodores.
Oppositely, Vanderbilt scored only two points with Ole Miss’ five turnovers. Vanderbilt made only five field goals in the first half, which is tied for the fifth fewest in SEC Tournament single game history, and the last time it happened was in the 2024 tournament.
Ole Miss began the third quarter by surpassing the 50-point mark on a jumper from Lattimore, as Vanderbilt did so with the 20-point plateau. The Commodores got some momentum from that, going on a 9-0 scoring run to force an Ole Miss timeout. Afterward, the Rebels showcased a relaxed offense through McMahon and got back in a scoring rhythm.
Vanderbilt slimmed the margin once again with a pair of back-to-back triples and two free throws in the waning moments of the quarter. During the inbound, a hyper-aware McMahon chucked the ball down the court to a wide-open Debreasha Powe for a last second layup to put Ole Miss ahead 65-41 with 10 minutes remaining.
The fourth quarter began with fireworks, as a confrontation between Ralph and the officials led to Ralph’s ejection. Ole Miss was rewarded four free throws, which McMahon made all of. When the Rebels next had the ball, Christeen Iwuala grabbed an offensive rebound and a layup, to make it a six-point play.
The remainder of the game was both a defensive and offensive bloodbath for both teams. Vanderbilt began to score at an unprecedented rate and play press defense, which forced Ole Miss to converge all of its offense into full sprints down the court. The Rebels caught breaks on defensive rebounds, which allowed them to slowly build their lead.
Lattimore contributed two wide-open layups that served as the dagger. Two more threes from Vanderbilt were not enough, as the buzzer sounded with Ole Miss on top, 89-78
Ole Miss is back at Bon Secours Wellness Arena Saturday evening as it takes on the winner between tonight’s game against No. 5/5 Texas or No. 25 Alabama. Tipoff will be at 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.
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Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Ole Miss Rebels On SI, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Rebel Football, Baseball, Basketball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving Ole Miss athletics. Nagy has covered the Southeastern Conference for over half a decade after being born and raised in New Orleans (La.).
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