A few days ago, there were only two unbeaten teams in women’s college basketball: Geno Auriemma’s UConn and his disciple Shea Ralph’s Vanderbilt. The Commodores were 20-0 when they met Dawn Staley’s South Carolina last Sunday. However, the relentless Gamecocks showed their quality and snapped Vanderbilt’s unbeaten run.
South Carolina did not just win, they destroyed a team as good as Vanderbilt. Vandy suffered a 103-74 blowout loss. Four South Carolina players scored in double digits. The Commodores were off their game, and if there’s one thing certain about Staley’s team, it is that they don’t slip when you give them the chance, and that’s what happened. Gamecocks took complete advantage.
It was a real test of character for Shea Ralph’s team as to how they would bounce back from that disheartening loss. Unfortunately, they didn’t. Five days later, Vanderbilt suffered their second loss in a row, this time against Ole Miss Rebels. The question obviously arises whether the loss against South Carolina had any effect on Friday’s result against Ole Miss. Head coach Ralph gave her opinion after an 83-75 loss.
“We understand all the things that are happening and that stings right, but it is outside of our control. And that’s how I manage too with our team. It would be easy for me to say that but that’s an excuse and I don’t give those. So, we are liking this experience to being on the west coast for the NCAA tournament, or playing a neutral site game,” Ralph said.
“We had to leave early, we don’t know when we are playing, we don’t know who we are playing all the time. But you just have to battle. And you have to be grateful for the fact that we were warm and with power and food and together. So there wasn’t one part of this week where I let my team or staff or anybody associated with our program wallow in our circumstances,” she shared.
“There’s a lot of people across the country that are worse off. I would love to tell you that it was a factor, but I am going to. It can’t be. We had everything we needed to be able to come out here and compete, and we just didn’t do that,” Shea Ralph concluded.
Fans React to Vanderbilt’s Upset Loss To Ole Miss
Fans online loved the competitiveness of the SEC and praised Ole Miss for its win.
“Cotie McMahon said she a top 8 pick!” one fan praised Ole Miss star.
“South Carolina have started a domino effect,” another fan claimed.
“Don’t sleep on Ole Miss,” another mentioned.
“The SEC is no joke. On any given day, anyone can be beat,” one fan claimed.
“Vandy aint ready for the SEC baby. It’s a whole different beast baby,” another said.
“Ole Miss is the real deal,” another commented.
Read more:
Kim Mulkey Makes Her Feelings Known About Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame Snub
Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles 2025–26 Stats Comparison: Who Is the Better Guard So Far?
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
