The tandem of Florida and Alabama combined to hand the Lady Bulldogs two more SEC losses on the season.
Florida (18-5, 6-4 SEC) upended the Dawgs 63-48 Thursday night, while the Crimson Tide (9-15, 3-8 SEC) handed the Dawgs their ninth straight loss by a score of 61-59 Sunday.
“All of the losses have been tough,” senior forward Mamie McKinney said following the two-point loss to Bama. “This game [against Alabama] was just one loss in itself. We fought hard but allowed them back into the game. We really just missed a lot of key blockouts and the free throws hurt us.”
The Lady Bulldogs just can’t seem to play their cards correctly to find a win.
Coming into the game, the Crimson Tide was riding a seven-game losing streak of its own. While MSU (6-18, 1-10 SEC) led throughout the entire first half and led by 10 at intermission, the Tide was able to bounce back.
The contest came down to a few last-second shots-shots that Bama’s Lauren Hill hit, while MSU’s Doceide Warren didn’t.
“I think we did a good job of contesting [Hill’s] shot,” Warren said. “She made a good play by getting the offensive rebound. It was a lack of communication on our part and not blocking out correctly. [As for my shot,] it was a good play we ran, and I think I had a good look at the basket. It just fell short.”
The trio of McKinney, Doceide Warren and Lauren Roberts contributed for 36 of the Lady Bulldogs’ total points, splitting them with 12 apiece. MSU was outrebounded by the Tide 45-39, and State shot a measly 4.3 percent from the three-point arc.
It was only three days beforehand that MSU notched itsninth SEC loss of the year against Florida. While freshman standout Robin Porter was still able to put up impressive numbers with a double-double, the Dawgs couldn’t put up the most important number there is: a victory.
“It is really frustrating knowing that you come back on a team and everything just breaks down,” stated Porter after the Florida loss. “Everyone wants that win.”
MSU only led Florida once in the 40-minute contest, and it wasn’t when it mattered.
“I felt like we got a little bit anxious,” head coach Sharon Fanning said after the Florida loss. “I think we were playing hard the majority of the game, but we were not on the same page. We missed a lot of open looks.”
Mississippi State has three remaining games in the regular season, one of which is at home. After being idle this Thursday, the Lady Bulldogs welcome Kentucky (16-6, 5-4 SEC) to The Hump Sunday afternoon for the home season finale.