The Mississippi State women’s basketball team is still undefeated, improving its record to 4-0 after victories over Belmont and Mercer.”It feels really good to be undefeated as a freshman on this team,” forward Danielle Rector said. “Being undefeated just adds to the excitement.”
The Lady Bulldogs got double-digit scoring from three players as the Lady Bulldogs snapped the nation’s second-longest home-winning streak with a 66-51 win over Belmont (1-2) Thursday evening in Nashville.
“Being on the road does not really affect us,” sophomore guard Alexis Rack said. “Last year we did good on the road, so we just play like we are at home.”
In the first half of play, the Lady Bulldogs traded baskets with the Lady Bruins before putting together a 10-0 run spanning more than five minutes to go up by 10 points with 10:01 left before halftime.
Belmont had a short 6-2 run of its own, chipping away at Mississippi State’s lead to bring the score to 19-11.
Back-to-back three pointers and a field goal by Belmont’s Shaunda Strayhorn brought the Lady Bruins four points away to matching the Lady Bulldogs’ score.
Mississippi State took the 28-22 lead into halftime.
In the second half of play, Belmont played hard to come within two points of the lead with 17:04 remaining in the game.
The Lady Bulldogs fought back with baskets from Mary Katherine Govero, Donnisha Tate and Tysheka Grimes, and they jumped back out by 13 with 8:37 left in the game. From there, Mississippi State extended its lead to 22 points with under a minute remaining and took the 66-51 win.
Govero earned her first double-double in her Maroon and White career with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Sophomores Tysheka Grimes and Alexis Rack tallied 13 points each. Senior Imesia Jackson added 13 boards in the game.
The Lady Bulldogs then picked up their fourth win of the season with a 89-51 victory over the Mercer Lady Bears (2-3) Sunday afternoon at Humphrey Coliseum.
The win brought the Lady Bulldogs to a record of 4-0 for the first time since the 1999 season.
In the first five minutes of play, both teams came out trading buckets.
Leading 9-8 with just 14 minutes left until the half, Mississippi State came out with spot-on shooting to take the lead going into the break. The Lady Bulldogs went on a 21-9 run to end the first half of play with a 41-23 lead.
Mississippi State continued its strong shooting performance in the second half of play, coming out on a 14-0 run to begin the period.
The Lady Bulldogs’ defense held the Lady Bears to almost 28 percent shooting from the field in the second half.
Mississippi State had five players in double-digits including Grimes, who posted her third career double-double for the Lady Bulldogs with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Junior forward Donisha Tate added a season-high of 11 points for Mississippi State. Rack led all scorers in the game with a season-high 21 points.
Mississippi State held its greatest lead by 42 points with only 50 seconds left in the game.
Guards Cristin Seymour and Shakeda Richie, who each scored 12 points for the Lady Bears, led Mercer.
Lady Bulldogs’ junior forward Lauren Roberts made her return to the court Sunday afternoon.
“It feels great to be back on the court,” Roberts said. “I’m very happy. We put a team away, and that’s something we’ve been working on since last year. Plus, everyone got the chance to play.”
The team saw improvements in the last two games.
“We improved on defensive intensity,” Rack said. “In the second half of play we usually have a standstill, but we didn’t let them come up on us. Coach is always on us about finishing the game positively and today we really feel like we did that.”
Rector said the team became more cohesive, calling it a major stride for the Lady Bulldogs.
“We had a major improvement in team chemistry,” Rector said. “We were playing together, we picked up the intensity, we kept increasing the lead instead of letting Mercer catch up to us, and it was just an overall improvement.”
MSU head coach Sharon Fanning said she has been talking to the team about smart pressure, smart passes and easy shots.
“We had an improvement in transitions, pushing it and getting the ball down the court, and making easy buckets,” Fanning said. “I was very pleased to have five players in double digits.”
Fanning said she is not as pleased with the team’s consistency as she thought she would be by now and that they must mature as a team and prepare better.
“We have not practiced as much as we need to practice and haven’t had enough pressure as we need,” Fanning said. “It’s going to show eventually if we don’t come on and get on it.”
Fanning said the last two games have been a major improvement and that the team’s demeanor is much better.
“I am very pleased to be 4-0,” Fanning said. “We have a good basketball team. The focus was maintained and the girls played hard.”
Mississippi State travels to Cancun, Mexico over the Thanksgiving holiday to play in the Cancun Caribbean Challenge.
The Lady Bulldogs begin the tournament playing against Iowa Thursday at 12:30 p.m.