GREENVILLE, S.C. – The No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt women’s basketball team could not overcome a slow start in the quarterfinals at the 2026 SEC Tournament, as the Commodores fell to No. 7-seed Ole Miss, 89-78, Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
With the loss, the No. 5/5-ranked Dores move to 27-4 overall on the year. Vanderbilt now waits to find out its draw for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Selection Sunday is set for March 15 and airs live on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.
For the 27th time this season, Vanderbilt had three or more players score 10 or more points in a contest.
Sophomore Mikayla Blakes extended her double-digit scoring streak to 50 games. The 2025-26 SEC Player of the Year scored a team-high 24 points, as she battled foul trouble throughout the contest. The 24-point performance for Blakes gives the guard her 12th-straight game with 20 or more points.
Point guard Aubrey Galvin tallied 18 points in her first SEC Tournament game. The 2025-26 SEC Freshman of the Year went 7-of-16 from the field and dished out a team-best four assists. Graduate Sacha Washington tallied 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds on the night.
Vandy opened the SEC Tournament quarterfinals shooting 1-of-16 from the floor, which allowed the Rebels to take a 23-2 lead approaching the final minute of the first quarter. The Commodores couldn’t find much rhythm on offense on the night until the night’s final frame, as Vanderbilt shot 37.5 percent from the floor. Ole Miss led by as many as 32 points in the contest, but Vandy continued to battle throughout the night and chipped away at its deficit.
Trailing by 22 points at the 9:25 mark of the fourth quarter, Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph received two technical fouls and was ejected from the game. The Commodores responded to their head coach’s ejection by going on a 27-10 run to make it an 11-point contest with 3:17 remaining in the game. Vandy ultimately was unable to make up its early deficit to Ole Miss, as the Dores dropped an 89-78 decision, bringing their 2026 SEC Tournament run to an end.
Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Result
“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. 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.”
Up Next
The No. 5/5 Commodores now wait for Selection Sunday to find out their 2026 NCAA Tournament draw. The Selection Sunday show airs on March 15 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. Vanderbilt is in the position to host the first two rounds of the tournament at Memorial Gymnasium, as the Dores were a No. 2 seed in the latest NCAA Selection Committee Top 16.
Dore Notes
- The Commodores’ 27 wins are the most heading into the NCAA Tournament in school history
- Vanderbilt’s No. 2 seed at the SEC Tournament was the program’s highest since the 2008-09 season
- The Dores are now 50-40 all-time at the SEC Tournament
- Vanderbilt ends its SEC Tournament run in the quarterfinals for the second-straight season
- Vandy had three players score 10 or more points for the 28th time out of 31 games this season
- Mikayla Blakes extended her double-digit scoring streak to 50 games with a 24-point performance against the Rebels
- Blakes has scored 10-plus points in 62 of her 63 career games at Vanderbilt
- It is the 26th game this season that Blakes scored 20-plus points in a contest
- Aubrey Galvan tallied 18 points to record her 20th double-digit scoring performance of the season
- Graduate Sacha Washington extends her double-digit scoring streak to three games with a 16-point effort
- Washington records double-digit points for the 17th time this season
- The Dores are now 35-22 all-time against Ole Miss, as Vandy has now lost six-straight games against the Rebels
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