.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
14-9, 4-6SEC
Vanderbilt
13-10, 4-6SEC
Ole Miss Falls at Vanderbilt
2/5/2015 | Women's Basketball
Boxscore
NASHVILLE - The Vanderbilt Commodores used 42 second-half points to come back from a 16-point deficit to defeat the Ole Miss women's basketball team, 58-54, on Thursday night at Memorial Gym in Nashville
Senior Tia Faleru (Ozark, Ala.) had a game-high 23 points and 13 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season and her 29th career double-double to lead Ole Miss and was joined in double figures by Shandricka Sessom (Byhalia, Miss.) who had 12 points for her second consecutive game in double figures.
Vanderbilt, who trailed by 16 points at the 13:24 mark of the second half, used 13 second-half points from Rachel Bell to stage the comeback. With the scored tied at 54 with 2:07 left, Vanderbilt used a layup from Kristen Gaffney to take the lead, its first since the 11-minute mark of the first half and sealed the win from the free throw line with a pair from Morgan Batey.
The visitors came out in the second half and extended their lead to double-digits within the first five minutes of play courtesy of a 11-6 spurt, which included back-to-back triples from Sessom. Resident sharpshooter Gracie Frizzell (Little Rock, Ark.) got in the action with a triple at the 14:00 mark and Ole Miss extended its lead to 38-24 - the largest of the game -- forcing Vanderbilt to call a timeout.
The Rebels shot much better in the second half, shooting 52.0 percent (13-of-25) and went into Faleru who owned the paint. She scored 13 of her 23 points in the second half and helped Ole Miss to a 30-20 edge in points in the paint. Free throws continued to be the Achilles heel for the Rebels as they shot just 47.4 (9-of-19) from the charity stripe, below 50 percent for the second consecutive game.
Ole Miss got off to an uncharacteristic slow start and Vanderbilt jumped out to a 6-0 lead before buckets from seniors Danielle McCray (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Faleru ended a nearly four minute scoring drought for the visitors. At the first media timeout, Ole Miss clamped down on the defensive end forcing the Commodores into two shot violations and several turnovers and were able to take an 11-10 lead at the 8:34 mark of the game - their first lead of the game.
Ole Miss struggled from the floor in the first half, shooting just 29 percent on 8-of-29 shooting from the floor but managed to close the half on a 7-2 run to take a 22-16 lead into the break. Foul shooting continued to be an issue for the Rebels as they went to the line 12 times in the first half but only converted six times. Faleru lead all scorers with 10 points and nine rebounds just a rebound shy of her 29th career double-double and her first since Texas A&M on Jan. 18.
Ole Miss will take the weekend off before hosting No. 6/6 Tennessee at Tad Smith Coliseum on Thursday, Feb. 12. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on SECN+ with Will Kollmeyer and Armintie Price Herrington on the call.
REBEL SIDELINES: The loss was the fifth consecutive for Ole Miss … Tia Faleru has now scored in 99 consecutive games … Faleru recorded her 29th career double-double and her first since Texas A&M on Jan. 18 ... Ole Miss had its first 20-point scorer since Frizzell's 24 vs. Alabama on Jan. 11.
