The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs notched a 74-43 victory over Troy in their season-opener at home on Friday night.
This victory gives head coach Sharon Fanning her 500th career victory.
“At halftime, we were 1-12 from the 3-point range, and I felt like we were settling for shots rather than creating shots,” Fanning said. “This was the first time that Miayorka Johnson, Amy Reeder and Heather Hollis have played together, and I was impressed.
“Troy played man to man and came out in that zone, and it forced us to take some outside shots,” Fanning added. “We started out with the ball to the rim, but then we started getting into a rhythm of shooting three-pointers. When the second half came, Johnson, Reeder and Hollis came together and started to hit shots. We also took it to the goal better and shot our free throws much better.”
MSU was led by junior transfer Imekia Johnson from Crawford, who scored 17 points and had eight rebounds.
Sophomore guard Heather Hollis was second in State’s scoring, notching 15 points.
Hollis launched a career high from beyond the arc with four three-point field goals made out of six attempts.
Sophomore Robin Porter, junior Amy Reeder and freshman Bethany Washington all scored nine points in the game.
Washington also had three assists in the game. Jackson ended the game with eight rebounds, the most for MSU.
Troy’s Amy Lewis led all scorers with 18 points. Kylie Morrissy also scored 16 points for the visiting Trojans.
With Friday’s win, Fanning becomes the 29th Division I coach to reach 500 wins. Fanning ranks 22nd on the same list among active coaches.
All of Fanning’s wins have come at the Division I level throughout her 31-year career.
“I know this is a joyous occasion for us to finally get Sharon to her 500th win,” said Ann Carr, MSU senior women’s administrator. “And we are so very proud of her here at Mississippi State.
“This is one step to us getting better for the years to come. The team that she has right now, I think are really playing for Coach Fanning, and we will definitely see a lot more wins for her around here.”
The Lady Bulldogs continue a seven- game home stretch, returning to action on Friday, when they face Southeastern Louisiana at 7 p.m.