With the game knotted 53-53 and just eight seconds remaining, MTSU junior Kseniya Malashka drew a whistle that sent Vanderbilt’s Kaylon Smith to the bench with five fouls and herself to the free throw line with a chance to win the game. 

She calmly sank both free throws, sending the Lady Raiders (26-7) to the WNIT quarterfinals where they will face Toledo (29-5) in the Savage Center on Monday at 6 p.m.

It was the second all-Middle Tennessee postseason matchup following Vanderbilt-Belmont in the opening round of the men’s NIT, and the third this postseason featuring two Tennessee schools counting Belmont versus Tennessee in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

"I wouldn't say I was doubting myself, but when I talked to coach Rick [Insell], I calmed myself down," Malashka said. "I wasn't even listening to what they were saying in that huddle, I was preparing myself."

The Commodores started out strong, outscoring the Blue Raiders 21-10 in the first period. But the Lady Raiders chipped away, storming back in the third period on the back of four made 3s — two by Dor Saar and one apiece by Jalynn Gregory and Alexis Whittington.

Saar led the Lady Raiders with 13 points, three rebounds and a team-high three steals. Malashka added 12 points, four rebounds and a team-best four blocks. 

"What a heck of a game," Insell said. "Both teams played hard, both teams executed at times, and both teams got sloppy at times. You've got to give credit to both teams. They battled and battled and battled, and our players battled and battled and battled. A heck of a game — I'm proud of our basketball team."

Monday’s contest is just the second time in school history the Lady Raiders will play in the WNIT quarterfinals. They lost 69-57 to Temple in their previous WNIT quarterfinal appearance in 2015. 

It will also be MTSU’s first postseason game on the road this year. The Lady Raiders have an 8-5 record in road games but were a perfect 16-0 at the Murphy Center with a 17-game home win streak dating back to the 2020-21 season.

Vanderbilt’s season comes to a bittersweet end with a 16-19 record. But the Commodores made some noise in their first season under head coach Shea Ralph. 

This year marked VU’s first postseason appearance of any kind (outside of the SEC Tournament) since the 2013-14 season, and the Commodores earned a pair of dominant wins before bowing out in Ralph’s debut season. 

“Obviously disappointed for our group, but incredibly proud of how far we’ve come this year, and I’m excited about the foundation that we’ve built for our program here at Vanderbilt,” Ralph said. “We understand how special this is and the opportunity to make it even more special is, obviously, my dream job.” 

Vanderbilt saw solid growth in just a short period of time. The Commodores had not won more than 14 games since 2014-15, and Ralph’s 16 wins in her first year are more than ex-coach Stephanie White had in any of her five seasons at the school.

Beginning her tenure with a pair of postseason victories not only gives the ‘Dores as strong a foundation to work with as they have had in a long time, but it also sends a message about the culture change at Vandy to future recruits.

"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."

In what was potentially her last game in the black and gold, Ensworth product Jordyn Cambridge led the ‘Dores with 14 points and notched four rebounds, a team-leading four steals and one block.

Freshman guard and Blackman alum Iyana Moore also tallied 14 points and swiped three steals. Fellow freshman Sacha Washington corralled 12 points and a team-best eight rebounds.