Ole Miss women’s basketball secured a key win over No. 23 Vanderbilt on Sunday, earning its first ranked SEC win in over a year with a 76-61 road victory in Nashville. Starr Jacobs led the way for the Rebels, scoring a season-high 24 points on near-perfect 12-of-13 shooting while adding 10 rebounds. Ole Miss controlled the game after a dominant second quarter and never relinquished its lead.

Jacobs, who notched her third double-double of the season, credited her success to the team’s defensive effort.

“We know we needed this top 25 win. This was a big game for us … we knew what we needed to do to win this game and we did just that,” Jacobs said in a post-game interview with ESPN. “Very proud of my team today … I think our defense just allowed me to get those points that I got. … Our defense helped me get what I got today.”

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Ole Miss (15-6, 6-3 SEC) started strong, taking control with a 20-10 second-quarter run to build a 32-21 halftime lead. Madison Scott provided additional support in the frontcourt, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal. The Rebels shot an efficient 54.2% from the field, capitalizing on their size advantage to out-rebound Vanderbilt 32-23, per the Associated Press.

Vanderbilt (18-5, 5-4 SEC) saw its four-game winning streak come to an end. Khamil Pierre led the Commodores with 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting, while freshman standout Mikayla Blakes added 16 points. Iyana Moore chipped in 10, but the Commodores struggled to keep pace offensively, managing their second-lowest scoring output of the season — both of which came against Ole Miss.

Sunday’s victory marked the fifth straight win for the Rebels over Vanderbilt and their first ranked SEC win since defeating No. 24 Arkansas in January 2023, according to David Johnson of 247Sports. It was also the program’s first ranked win overall since taking down No. 5 Stanford in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin now holds 11 wins over ranked opponents in her tenure at Ole Miss.

Ole Miss women's basketball will look to build on its momentum when it hosts No. 13 Oklahoma on Thursday, while Vanderbilt travels to No. 5 Texas for another top-tier SEC matchup.