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Less than a week in the month and the March is maddening.
Seventh‑seeded Ole Miss stunned AP No. 5 Vanderbilt with a scorching hot start and a suffocating defensive effort, handing the Commodores an 89‑78 loss in the SEC Tournament. Vanderbilt, the league’s No. 2 seed, had never been held under 20 points in any half under coach Shea Ralph, but Ole Miss ended that streak by limiting the Commodores to 17 first‑half points.
The Rebels dictated the tempo from the opening tip, using disruptive defense to force Vanderbilt into more first‑half turnovers than made field goals. Ole Miss surged to a commanding 49‑17 halftime lead behind Latasha Lattimore, who posted 15 points and five rebounds before the break.
Adding to the count‼️#HottyToddy x #Give pic.twitter.com/bWU55erlff
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt’s top scorers struggled mightily. Aubrey Galvan went 0-for-4 from the field in the first half, and Mikayla Blakes missed her first 10 shots and picked up three fouls. The pair combined for just two points before halftime.
Blakes didn’t record her first field goal until the 2:30 mark of the third quarter, when Ole Miss had already pushed its lead to as many as 32. She added a three‑pointer a minute later as she finally found some rhythm.
Vanderbilt outscored Ole Miss 24‑16 in the third quarter, but frustration boiled over late. Ralph was ejected with just over 30 seconds into the period after protesting Blakes’ fourth foul, with the Commodores trailing 69‑43.
The ejection sparked a late surge. Vanderbilt opened the fourth quarter on a 17‑3 run and cut the deficit to 14 with five minutes remaining. The Commodores scored 37 points in the final period, its highest‑scoring quarter of the season, but it was too little, too late.
Unbothered. pic.twitter.com/XazFBMsRXr
Ole Miss closed out the win behind a dominant performance from Lattimore, who finished with 28 points. Cotie McMahon added 27 points and seven assists while going 15-for-17 at the free‑throw line.
The Rebels advanced to play the winner of Texas/Alabama after delivering one of the most lopsided halves of the SEC season and one of the most surprising upsets of March so far.
Rebs won’t be stopped 😤#HottyToddy x #Give pic.twitter.com/cwB6xCcpGc
