Georgia stuns No. 5 Vanderbilt with 76-74 upset

Dani Carnegie's 29 points lead the Bulldogs to a surprise victory over the Commodores.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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Dani Carnegie scored 29 points to lead the Georgia Bulldogs to a 76-74 upset win over the fifth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores on Sunday. Trinity Thomas made a key jumper in the final minute to give Georgia the lead, and Carnegie split a pair of free throws to seal the victory.

Why it matters

The win is a major upset for Georgia, who entered the game with a 20-6 record and 6-6 in SEC play. Vanderbilt was ranked 5th nationally and had a 24-3 overall record, including a 10-3 conference mark. This loss snaps a 5-game winning streak for Vanderbilt and drops them two games behind South Carolina in the SEC regular season title race.

The details

Carnegie scored 18 of her 29 points in the first half to help Georgia build a 14-point lead. Vanderbilt closed the first half with a 16-3 run to make it a close game. The Commodores led by as many as 5 points in the fourth quarter, but Mia Woolfolk scored 11 of her 19 points to help the Bulldogs rally and pull off the upset. Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes led all scorers with 27 points in the losing effort.

  • The game was played on Sunday, February 15, 2026.
  • Vanderbilt's loss came less than 24 hours after the team was announced as the 4th No. 1 seed by the NCAA in its top 16 reveal.

The players

Dani Carnegie

A Georgia player who scored 29 points to lead the Bulldogs to the upset victory.

Trinity Thomas

A Georgia player who made a key mid-range jumper in the final minute to give the Bulldogs the lead.

Mia Woolfolk

A Georgia player who scored 11 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter to help the Bulldogs rally and win.

Mikayla Blakes

A Vanderbilt player who led all scorers with 27 points in the losing effort.

Sacha Washington

A Vanderbilt player who had a chance to force overtime but missed a floater as time expired.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee (Instagram)

What’s next

Georgia will take on another ranked opponent when it hosts No. 10 Oklahoma on Thursday, while Vanderbilt will host No. 18 Kentucky next Sunday.

The takeaway

This upset win for Georgia is a significant achievement, as they took down a top-5 ranked Vanderbilt team that was previously on a 5-game winning streak. The loss drops Vanderbilt two games behind South Carolina in the SEC regular season title race, making the conference race more interesting down the stretch.