OXFORD, Miss. — Vanderbilt graduate guards Ciaja Harbison and Marnelle Garraud combined for 38 points, but Ole Miss pulled away in the second half for a 74-53 victory over the Commodores on Thursday night at SJB Pavilion.
Harbison scored 21 points and grabbed four rebounds while Garraud finished with 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Senior guard Angel Baker scored 20 of her game-high 22 points in the first half to lead Ole Miss. Junior forward Madison Scott added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Rebels.
Ole Miss (14-2, 3-0) took a 17-16 lead after one quarter on the strength of Baker’s third 3-pointer through the first 10 minutes. Vandy (9-8, 0-3) went back on top 22-21 early in the second quarter after back-to-back 3-pointers from Harbison and Garraud.
But Baker remained hot from the floor, scoring 20 points to push Ole Miss to a 36-26 advantage entering halftime. Baker was 8 for 12 from the field and 4 of 6 from deep in the first half.
Ole Miss opened the second half on a 10-0 run to expand its lead to 20 points before Harbison banked in a 3-pointer after a timeout to end Vandy’s drought. The Rebels remained in front as the teams paraded to the free throw line down the stretch of the third quarter. Ole Miss’ lead peaked at 24 points in the fourth quarter as Vandy dropped two straight games in the series for the first time since 1986-87.
Ole Miss outrebounded Vanderbilt 41-26, including 14 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points. The Rebels shot 47 percent (27 of 57) from the field and 8 of 16 from deep while limiting Vanderbilt to just 35 percent (17 of 49) from the field and 29 percent from the 3-point line (4 of 14).
Player Notes
• Harbison scored 20 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time this season. She has scored 20-plus points in seven games this season, and scored in double figures in 11 of the 14 games she’s played.
• Garraud has made at least one 3-pointer in 16 of 17 games this season.
• Sacha Washington has grabbed at least five rebounds in seven straight games.
Series history
Vanderbilt’s lead in the all-time series narrowed to 35-19. The Dores dropped to 9-15 on the road against Ole Miss. Vandy’s last win in Oxford came during the 2017-18 season.
Up Next: Vanderbilt returns home to host rival Tennessee on Sunday at noon CT (SEC Network) in Memorial Gymnasium.
Tickets: Students will continue to receive free admission to all home basketball games. In addition, single-game sales, mini-plans and group ticket options are available. To view the promotional schedule, click here.
