Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Advances to SEC Tournament Semifinals with Win Over Vanderbilt

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Ole Miss women’s basketball team secured its first SEC Tournament semifinal appearance since 2024 with an 89-78 victory over Vanderbilt on Friday evening at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The Rebels (23-10, 8-8 SEC) defeated the Commodores (27-4, 13-3 SEC) for the seventh consecutive time, dating back to 2022, and achieved their first win over Vanderbilt in the tournament.

Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin improved her record to 6-0 against Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph. The Rebels also recorded three wins over top-five opponents this season, a program first. The victory marked Ole Miss’s first SEC Tournament semifinal appearance since 2024 and only the fourth in the past five years.

The Rebels set a program record with 89 points in a conference tournament game, the third-most in school history. They also reached the 80-point mark for the 15th time this season, tying for the third most in a single campaign. Ole Miss dished out 22 assists, the fifth-most in SEC Tournament history.

Latasha Lattimore led Ole Miss with 28 points and eight rebounds. Cotie McMahon scored 27 points and handed out a season-high seven assists. Tianna Thompson added 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting and recorded two steals. The Rebels jumped to an early lead, holding Vanderbilt to just six points in the first quarter and building a 25-6 advantage by the end of the period.

Ole Miss maintained a commanding 49-17 lead at halftime, thanks in part to forcing 11 Vanderbilt turnovers in the first half. Vanderbilt closed the gap in the second half, but Ole Miss held on with contributions from McMahon and Lattimore, who scored critical layups late in the game. The contest concluded with Ole Miss prevailing 89-78.

The Rebels will face either Texas or Alabama in Saturday’s semifinal at 6 p.m. CT, broadcast on ESPN2. Ole Miss’s next game will be at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville.

Source: Original Article