Vanderbilt women's basketball can't complete comeback in upset loss at Georgia – The Tennessean

Vanderbilt women’s basketball couldn’t build off a pair of top-10 wins, falling 76-74 to Georgia on Feb. 15 at Stegeman Coliseum.
The No. 5 Commodores (24-3, 10-3 SEC) trailed Georgia by 14 points in the second quarter and despite rallying to take a late lead, Trinity Turner’s layup with 50 seconds to play put the Bulldogs in front. Sacha Washington missed a short runner in the post at the buzzer which would have sent the game to overtime.
Dani Carnegie scored 29 points for the Bulldogs (20-6, 6-6), who shot 56% from the field and 44% from 3-point range to snap Vanderbilt’s winning streak at four games. The Commodores came into the game after beating No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 4 Texas at home earlier in the week.
Both teams started hot from the field, but Georgia was hotter. The Bulldogs built a 36-22 lead three minutes into the second quarter, powered by 16 points from Carnegie.
Vanderbilt got within three points at halftime and took the lead on a trio of free throws from Mikayla Blakes at the start of the fourth quarter. But the Commodores couldn’t push their lead beyond five points.
Blakes, the leading scorer in the nation, didn’t attempt a shot during the first quarter but finished with 27 points, most of them coming at the free throw line where she went 19-for-20. Justine Pissott added 23 points on five 3-pointers.
Vanderbilt has trailed most of the game but took the lead on a trio of free throws from Mikayla Blakes at the start of the fourth quarter. The Commodores are beating Georgia 67-66 with 4:56 remaining. Blakes has 23 points.
After trailing Georgia by 14 in the second quarter, Vanderbilt has climbed back to tie the game at 56-56 at the end of the third. Mikayla Blakes has 18 points on six assists and is 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
Georgia leads Vanderbilt 51-46 at the third-quarter media timeout, with 4:59 to play. Dani Carnegie has 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting to lead the Bulldogs, while Mikayla Blakes and Justine Pissott have combined for 30 for the Commodores.
Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes, the leading scorer in the country, got off to a slow start as Georgia pressed her on defense and held her without a shot attempt in the first quarter. Blakes got going in the second and finished the quarter with 12 points on 3-of-6 shooting. She also has three assists.
Vanderbilt cut Georgia’s lead to 39-36 at halftime after a 14-3 run going into the break. The Commodores have forced 11 turnovers, including eight in the second quarter. They’re shooting just 37.5% from the floor but have hit seven of 16 threes.
Georgia led by as many as 14 points before Vanderbilt closed to within 36-27 with 4:55 to play before halftime. The Bulldogs are shooting 55.6% from beyond the arc led by Dani Carnegie’s 16 points.
Dani Carnegie has 11 points and has propelled Georgia to a 27-20 lead after a quarter. The Bulldogs are shooting 63% from the field. Mikayla Blakes, the nation’s leading scorer, hasn’t taken a shot yet.
Georgia leads Vanderbilt 14-13 at the first media timeout with 4:39 to go in the first quarter. The Bulldogs have hit three 3-pointers, as have the Commodores, who are led by Justine Pissott’s eight points on 3-of-4 shooting.
MORE: Mikayla Blakes makes Player of the Year case as Vanderbilt beats Texas, Madison Booker
Vanderbilt 88, Georgia 77
Vanderbilt has no known injuries outside of Madison Greene, who suffered a season-ending injury prior to the season.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at [email protected] and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
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