SEC Tournament Run Ends

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team’s run in the 2025 SEC Tournament came to an end on Friday with an 84-63 loss to No. 1-seed South Carolina.

With the loss, Vanderbilt now waits to see where they will play in the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Selection Sunday is March 16 with the selection show airing at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. The Commodores head into March Madness with a 22-10 overall record.

A 33-6 run from South Carolina that spanned the cross of the first and second quarters gave the Gamecocks a 48-23 advantage going into halftime. The Commodores fought back and went on a 21-9 run coming out of break to make it a 13-point contest going into the fourth quarter.

A 3-pointer by senior Iyana Moore pulled the Dores within single digits at 62-53 with 8:44 left in the game. Freshman Mikayla Blakes banked in a 3-pointer that pulled the Dores within five points at 68-63 with 4:22 left to play. South Carolina went on a 16-0 run from that point to reclaim a double-digit lead to end the game.

Sophomore Khamil Pierre recorded her third-straight double-double with a 17-point, 10-rebound effort against the Gamecocks. It is Pierre’s 17th double-double overall this season, which are the most collected by a Dore in a single season since 1999-00. The sophomore also pushed her double-digit scoring streak to nine games, as she has now registered double figures in 32 of her last 33 games dating back to last season.

Pierre was one of three Commodores to score double digits on Friday. Freshman Mikayla Blakes paced the Dores with 20 points and dished out a game-high six assists. Senior Iyana Moore tallied 16 points and hit a team-best four 3-point field goals to record her 200th career 3-point field goal, which is eighth-most in program history. Blakes pushed her double-digit scoring streak to 18 games, while Moore has tallied double figures in three-straight games.

The Commodores shot 37.1 percent from the floor and hit six 3-pointers in the contest. Conversely, South Carolina posted a 54.7 percent shooting percentage.

Head Coach Shea Ralph on the Result
“First, I want to say hats off to South Carolina. Obviously, a storied program with the tradition of excellence. They played very well today. Also want to give credit to my team. I thought that we fought hard and we looked much more like ourselves in the second half of the game. We settled in. Our shot selections were better, our defense was better. That’s the best of who we are. When we are that team, we can compete with anyone in the country. I fully believe that. Then we made mistakes down the stretch. We didn’t score. It was three or four minutes left in the game.

“Obviously, rebounding has plagued us all year. I thought we gave up some rebounds. I thought our rotations defensively when we were trapping towards the end of the game were poor, giving up wide-open layups. Then they had 18 points off of our 16 turnovers, which to me just means they were untimely and inopportune. When we played like the team played in the third quarter and most of the fourth quarter, we’re a team to be reckoned with in the NCAA tournament. I’m disappointed we’re not moving on but pleased with the effort I saw today.”

How It Happened
The two teams traded blows over the first seven minutes of the contest before South Carolina went on a 13-2 run that gave the Gamecocks a 24-15 edge at the end of 10 minutes of play. South Carolina scored 12 of the frame’s first 14 points in the second quarter to take a 36-17 lead going into the media break. South Carolina maintained a double-digit advantage for the remainder of the quarter, taking a 25-point lead into halftime.

Vanderbilt fought back, as they opened the third on a 21-9 run to make it a 13-point game after a 3-pointer from Moore. That’s where the difference stood at the end of the third quarter, as the Commodores trailed South Carolina 61-48. The Dores made it a five-point game before the Gamecocks ended the game on a 16-0 run.

Up Next
The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team will now play the waiting game to see where they will be heading for the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Selection Sunday is set for March 16 and will air at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Dores Notes

• Sophomore Khamil Pierre pushed her double-figure scoring streak to nine games with a 17-point effort
• Pierre pulled down 10 rebounds to collect her 17th double-double of the season
• The sophomore scored double-digit points for the 32nd time in the last 33 games
• The forward pulled down double-digit rebounds for the 18th game this season
• Freshman Mikayla Blakes extended her double-digit scoring streak to 17 games with her 20-point performance
• Blakes has now scored 20 or more points in 20 contests this season
• Senior Iyana Moore registered 16 points to push her double-digit scoring streak to three games
• The Dores are now 50-39 all-time at the SEC Tournament

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