The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Upsets No. 18 Vanderbilt 71-69
2/22/2009 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. Kayla Melson dribbled the length of the floor and hit the game-winning layup with six seconds to play to help Ole Miss upset No. 18 Vanderbilt 71-69 Sunday afternoon from Tad Smith Coliseum.
Ole Miss (16-12, 5-8 SEC) took a 69-66 lead with 43 seconds left on the clock after Bianca Thomas hit a pair of free throws. Meredith Marsh missed a three-point attempt on the ensuing possession, and Ole Miss secured the rebound and was immediately fouled.
The Rebels failed to increase their lead by missing two free throws, leaving the door open for a Vanderbilt comeback. Marsh redeemed herself from her earlier miss by evening the score at 69-69 with a three-pointer in the corner with 12 seconds remaining.
Melson took the inbounds pass and raced down the floor for her only two points of the game. The Commodores appeared to send the game into overtime on the following play as Rhoads hit a jumper at the top of the key as time expired. The basket was originally counted by the officiating crew, but after further review was deemed no good.
It was the first victory for Ole Miss over a ranked team since the Rebels defeated No. 20 Arkansas 63-55 last season.
Bianca Thomas scored a game-high 25 points and hit five three-pointers to lead Ole Miss on the offensive end. It was the eighth game this season in which Thomas has scored at least 20 points. In addition, her five three-pointers moved her into fourth place all-time on the school's single season list with 60.
Shawn Goff fell one rebound shy of her second straight double-double as she finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. Shantell Black recorded her second career double-double by collecting 10 points and 11 assists. Her 11 helpers tied her career-high she set earlier this season against Old Dominion.
Christina Wirth paced the Commodores with 20 points to go along with five rebounds. Marsh and Rhoads also finished in double figures as the duo scored 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Vanderbilt (21-7, 10-3 SEC) led by eight points with just over three minutes left in the first half as Wirth converted an old fashioned three-point play. Ole Miss closed the half with five straight points to trail by just three at 36-33 heading into halftime.
Ole Miss opened the second half on an 11-0 run over the first two minutes to take a 44-36 lead. Thomas hit three straight 3-pointers on consecutive possessions over a span of 1:22 to help fuel the run.
The Commodores briefly regained the lead at the 14:30 mark of the half on a basket from Tia Gibbs, but Ole Miss quickly upped its lead back to six points on baskets from Goff and Thomas.
Ole Miss puts the finishing touches on the regular season March 1 at 2 p.m. when the Rebels welcome LSU to Tad Smith Coliseum.
