Just days after being crowned the SEC’s Coach of the Year, Shea Ralph found herself in the center of a firestorm. Ralph and Vanderbilt were on a three-game winning streak that included No. 24 Alabama and No. 16 Kentucky. She was named the SEC coach of the year, beating other elite candidates like Kim Mulkey and Dawn Staley. Ralph was also named The Athletic’s women’s basketball coach of the year. However, everything came tumbling down for Ralph when they went up against Ole Miss. 

Vanderbilt was getting rolled over by an intense Ole Miss side. The Commodores trailed by 22 points in the fourth quarter, with the scoreline reading 65-42. The Rebels inbounded but Mikayla Blakes came up with a hustle play and stole the ball off Cotie McMahon. The ball rolled over the side and Blakes tried to recover and dove on the floor but Jayla Murray jumped with her. Murray ended up on top of Blakes and the referee whistled for a foul. To the horror of Shea Ralph, it was the fourth on her star player and she was not having it.

Ralph marched onto the court to protest that call. “How is that a f****** foul?” Ralph was heard on the courtside mic as she continued to argue with the referees while making aggressive hand gestures. Ralph’s assistant coach prevented her from going even further and cooled her down. Nevertheless, Ralph was immediately given two technicals and ejected. 

“She is letting the official have it,” the broadcaster was heard on air. “She said what she said. And afterwards, she’s ejected from this game, the sign from the official saying she is done for the night in Shea Ralph, where it has been a frustrating night for her group.”

Ralph regrouped her team for a few words of encouragement as she retreated to the locker room. She even got a standing ovation from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The Vanderbilt boss is as competitive as they come and her aggression did flick a switch in her side. The Commodores went on a 17-0 run. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to recover, as No. 7 seed Ole Miss completed the upset over No. 2 seed with the final scoreline reading 89-78. After the game, Ralph had no qualms regarding her behavior. 

Shea Ralph Has No Regrets After Ole Miss Ejection

Shea Ralph is known for her aggression. Her drive has played a big part in turning around this Vanderbilt program that was going through a rough patch to their most successful regular season in school history. So, after the game, Ralph stood by her actions regarding her ejection but avoided criticizing the officials at the same time. 

“At the time, what I said was warranted… If they want to kick me out, kick me out,” Ralph said. According to Alaina Morris, she stands on her ejection. When asked why the reaction was warranted, however, she avoided getting into the thick of it. “Don’t try to get me fined,” she said. Ralph went as far as to exclaim that she should have been “kicked out sooner.” 

Ole Miss has been frustrating opponents for Vanderbilt and Ralph. In their only regular season game, the Rebels earned a victory in a similar manner. They had an early lead in that matchup, leading by 20 in the first half before a late Vanderbilt comeback that proved futile. In both games, it has been Cotie McMahon who has troubled them. 

In this game McMahon finished with 27 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. For the Commodores, it was Blakes with 24 points, Aubrey Galvan with 18 and Sach Washington with 16. As a team they shot only 38% from the field while allowing Ole Miss to go 57%, which proved to be the difference. Now, they crash out of the SEC tournament quarterfinals. They will look to redeem their season at the NCAA tournament.