No. 24 Ole Miss beats No. 5 Vanderbilt 89-78 in SEC Tournament

Rebels build 32-point lead before holding on late against Commodores

Published on Mar. 7, 2026

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No. 24 Ole Miss built a 32-point lead in the third quarter and held on late to beat fifth-ranked Vanderbilt 89-78 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Friday. Latasha Lattimore scored 28 points and Cotie McMahon had 27 for the Rebels, who jumped out to a 23-2 lead in the first quarter. Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes, who averaged over 30 points per game in conference play, missed her first 12 shots before helping fuel a fourth-quarter rally that cut the lead to nine. Ole Miss will face either No. 4 Texas or Alabama in Saturday's semifinals.

Why it matters

This was a key matchup between two top-25 teams in the SEC Tournament, with Ole Miss pulling off the upset over the higher-ranked Vanderbilt squad. The win keeps Ole Miss' season alive and advances them to the semifinals, while Vanderbilt will now await their NCAA Tournament seeding after the loss.

The details

Ole Miss jumped out to a 23-2 lead in the first quarter by holding Vanderbilt to 1-of-15 shooting and creating turnovers that led to easy layups. Things got worse for Vanderbilt in the second quarter when Blakes picked up her third foul. Ole Miss built a 32-point lead in the third quarter before Vanderbilt mounted a furious fourth-quarter rally, cutting the deficit to nine points. Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph was ejected in the fourth quarter after arguing a foul call.

  • Ole Miss built a 32-point lead in the third quarter.
  • Vanderbilt outscored Ole Miss 37-24 in the fourth quarter.
  • The game was played on Friday, March 6, 2026.

The players

Latasha Lattimore

Scored 28 points for Ole Miss.

Cotie McMahon

Scored 27 points for Ole Miss.

Mikayla Blakes

Vanderbilt's leading scorer who missed her first 12 shots before helping fuel a fourth-quarter rally.

Shea Ralph

Vanderbilt's head coach who was ejected in the fourth quarter after arguing a foul call.

Aubrey Galvan

Scored 18 points for Vanderbilt.

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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)

The takeaway

This game highlighted the competitive nature of the SEC Tournament, with a lower-ranked Ole Miss team pulling off a major upset over a top-5 Vanderbilt squad. The Rebels' strong start and Vanderbilt's late rally made for an exciting contest, and Ole Miss will now look to continue their tournament run against another tough opponent in the semifinals.