Vanderbilt Halts Ole Miss Win-Streak

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Ole Miss Athletics) – A big Commodore run in the second quarter proved too much to overcome as the Ole Miss women’s basketball team fell at Vanderbilt, 80-68, on Thursday night, snapping the first two-game SEC streak for the Rebels in two years.

The Rebels (8-12, 2-4 SEC) put together a strong first quarter of action, but the Commodores (6-13, 1-5 SEC) ripped off a 14-0 run in the second to drain the Rebel momentum and create some separation. Vanderbilt led by as many as 17 with 7:27 left to play, and although the Rebels were able to come within 10 with 4:09 remaining, the Commodores took advantage of some Ole Miss foul trouble down the stretch to stay ahead. Vanderbilt was 21-of-30 from the free throw line, going 11-of-14 in the fourth quarter alone.

Crystal Allen paced the Rebel offense, scoring a team-high 20 points – her eighth 20-point outing this season. The senior guard also extended her streak of consecutive made free throws to 34 after going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe tonight, which currently ranks as the third-longest active streak in the NCAA and the longest in the SEC.

Senior guard Shandricka Sessom filled up the stat sheet as well, scoring 14 points while recording five rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal before fouling out. Freshmen Mimi Reid (six points, seven assists) and Taylor Smith (eight points, two steals) also had productive games out of the starting lineup for the Rebels.

On the heels of a career-high 18 points in Sunday’s victory over Florida, senior forward La’Karis Salter jumpstarted the offense for Ole Miss, scoring all six of her points in the first quarter. Her strong offensive start allowed the Rebels to jump out to a 16-14 lead at the end of the first.

Ole Miss returns to action this coming Sunday (Jan. 27) with a trip down to in-state rival, No. 6 Mississippi State. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT in Starkville and on SEC Network.