Why the end of Vanderbilt women's basketball season in WNIT left Shea Ralph with mixed emotions

MURFREESBORO — Vanderbilt women's basketball coach Shea Ralph did not allow the disappointment she felt in the aftermath of the Commodores' loss to Middle Tennessee State Thursday to detract from how grateful she was for two things —  the WNIT and the opportunity to face the Lady Raiders a second time.

MTSU rallied in the second half and ended Vanderbilt's season by claiming a 55-53 win in the third round in front of a Murphy Center crowd of 3,022.

Ralph, in her first season, was glad the Commodores (16-19) got to extend their season after playing better down the stretch than they had for much of the regular season. They had won three of their previous five games.

She was even more thankful the Commodores got to play MTSU (26-7), a team they lost to in Murfreesboro 55-46 in the third game of the regular season.

It provided a measuring stick for Ralph to gage the amount of improvement the Commodores made.

"It's really hard to put the growth I've seen since that first game to this one into words," Ralph said. "The growth you see on the court is obvious. But you guys don't even know about the growth off the court in terms of coming together as a team. This team went through a lot. The improvement has been immeasurable."

Vanderbilt missed two shots in the final 1.8 seconds to tie or win the game.

Ralph was also happy the Commodores were able to make strides considering they went from 15 healthy players to just nine Thursday.

"The progress is evident but our goal is to end the season on a win," Ralph said. "So while we've made big strides we have much bigger strides to make and we will."

Bombs away

MTSU controlled nearly the entire game in the regular season but Vanderbilt held a steady lead Thursday until midway through the third quarter.

That's when the Lady Raiders launched a 3-point assault the Commodores could not handle. Vandy was up 35-25 before MTSU made seven 3-pointers over an 11-minute stretch. 

A 3-pointer by Jalynn Gregory gave MTSU a 51-46 lead with 4:07 remaining.

"I think they just started making their 3s; it wasn't like they weren't getting (good looks) early on." Ralph said. "They were just missing them. We could have done a better job with our ball pressure when they started making them."

Ralph said the Commodores' frantic defensive style likely led to some open shots for the Lady Raiders.

"With all the action we have on the ball when we're trapping, there's obviously an odd number behind us," Ralph said. "So we have to do a really good job of trapping with our hands up, not letting people out of our traps, not trapping when it's completely obvious that we're trying to trap. Those are all things we're going to have to get a little better at when you're playing teams in March."  

Washington disappeared

Vanderbilt freshman forward Sacha Washington came out strong making her first four shots in the first nine minutes. Her fourth bucket put Vandy up 19-8.

After that, however, Washington made just one of her last six shots. She finished with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Ralph said it wasn't a matter of MTSU shifting its focus to Washington but rather Washington's inability to continue to ask for the ball and create her own shot.

"We have to impose our will at times," Ralph said. "One of the things Sasha has to get better at doing is not just working when it's time for her to work. She has to work all the time so she's extremely difficult to guard. That's going to be a big step for her because you have to wear people out throughout the course of the game." 

Cambridge's future

Jordyn Cambridge and Iyana Moore led Vanderbilt with 14 points each. Cambridge also had a game-high four steals.

The former Ensworth standout has a decision to make. She has a year of eligibility remaining but said after the game she is unsure if she will use it.

Cambridge did, however, talk about how bright the future is for the Commodores and indicated she may be a part of it.

"We grew a lot individually and as a team we really bought into the culture our coaches are trying to create for us," Cambridge said. "I just think we did a really good job at that and we continue to show that everyday and I'm excited to bounce back next year." 

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.