The atmosphere at The Hump was not lacking in intensity for Senior Day Sunday afternoon as the Lady Bulldogs hosted the Ole Miss Lady Rebels in both teams’ final game of the regular season. The Bulldogs’ lone senior, Mary Kathryn Govero, was honored before the game.
Govero began making her mark quickly for the Lady Bulldogs as she was named to the SEC All-Freshman team in 2007-08. Her sophomore season saw much of the same success as she averaged 6.8 points per game, including an 11-point, three-steal performance against Texas in the NCAA Tournament.
Govero started every game for State her junior year, averaging 11.6 points per game and shooting a team best 38 percent from 3-point land. When tournament time came, she stepped up her game even more. She shot 5-6 from 3-point range and finished with 15 points to help the Bulldogs advance to the Sweet Sixteen and then scored 19 points in the regional semifinal. During her final year with the Bulldogs, Govero has been the leading scorer, averaging 12.6 points per game along with 4.3 rebounds, while shooting an outstanding 39.6 percent from downtown.
Coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said Govero has grown in her leadership and taken on any challenge that has been presented to her.
“If you look up role model or student-athlete, there is not a player that has exemplified that better than Mary Kathryn Govero in my entire career,” Fanning-Otis said. “She’s tough and hard-nosed but a real team player who is always willing to give, and she is very, very humble.”
Govero’s final game at The Hump was marked by the same tough play and sharp shooting, as she led State to a 65-55 win over the Rebels, scoring a team-high 18 points.
State had a 31-30 halftime lead and the points were spread evenly throughout the team. The Bulldogs only shot 35.5 percent from the field compared to the Rebels’ 60 percent, which included a sparkling 9-9 to start the game. However, the hustle and intensity of the Dawgs gave them the edge at half. Govero scored eight of her 18 points in the first half, pacing the Bulldogs offensively.
“I was confident, but a lot of it had to do with having my teammates out there because they were playing hard,” Govero said. “They provided some open looks for me, so I just tried to do my end of the deal and knock down the shot.”
The Rebels clawed ahead five minutes into the second half holding a three point advantage, but the Bulldogs bounced back with a 15-3 run over the next five minutes and maintained the lead throughout the remainder of the game. Fanning-Otis noted this run as the key point in the game.
“It takes some toughness, it takes some focus and it takes someone making a big shot,” Fanning-Otis said. “I was very pleased that we were able to make that run because that gives you momentum and confidence that you then hold onto.”
Junior Diamber Johnson finished with a double-double, scoring 16 points and dishing 10 assists while only committing three turnovers. State’s 18-10 assist-turnover ratio was a key factor throughout the game.
The Rebels welcomed the return of their star senior Kayla Melson, who had been sidelined with a concussion for three weeks, but even Melson could not stop the Bulldogs in the black jerseys. All of the girls were excited about sporting the black jerseys for the first time this season, and even Fanning-Otis said her team stayed focused wearing the uniforms.
“That was a great team win. Collectively, I think that this would be our best statistical game,” Fanning-Otis said. “We’re very pleased that we made the adjustments that we needed to make, and our team came up with a big win.”
The next step for the Bulldogs is the SEC Tournament. The team carries a 4-12 conference record into the tournament but is riding a two game SEC win streak. Johnson said this has made the team confident to take on any opponent.
“Today was the first time in a while that we put two whole halves together, and we didn’t have a lull,” Johnson said. “This is something for us to build off of going into the SEC Tournament. Hopefully, we can work on the mistakes we made, but right now we’re going in strong.”