The Mississippi State women’s basketball team continued to stake its claim for the Top 25 last week, posting conference wins over Arkansas (85-82) and Ole Miss (87-66). Head coach Sharon Fanning’s Lady Bulldogs are now 5-2 in the conference. Thursday night, MSU welcomed the Lady Razorbacks to the Humphrey Coliseum. In what Fanning described as a roller coaster, State looked good and bad at various times throughout the game that went into overtime before the home team could defeat the visitors.
With just 1:40 left in regulation, the Dogs faced a six-point deficit. A three from freshman Tan White cut the margin to three. Arkansas got an easy layup on the ensuing possession. Lone senior Jennifer Fambrough delivered a three-point play, trimming the gap to two. State’s pressure forced a turnover and two White free throws tied the game. The Lady Hogs countered with a basket from their leading scorer, Shameka Christon, who had 28 points on the night. White sank two more free throws and then made a game saving block down low to send the game into the extra session.
In the extra session, the Lady ‘Hogs could only sink one field goal. It came as part of a three-point play by guard Amy Wright. State countered with consecutive layups by Thomas and White, taking an 82-81 lead. A Christon free throw tied the game. With 1:28 left, MSU sophomore Seneca Anderson got the layup that put the Dogs up for good. State held the Hogs, and a free throw by White with two ticks on the clock put finishing touches on the hard-fought win.
State hit the boards hard, outrebounding U of A 50-30. Of these 50, 22 were snagged on the offensive end. The trio of LaToya Thomas, Fambrough and White all posted double-doubles on the night. Together, they accounted for 35 of the 50 team rebounds and 71 of the 85 points. The two-time Kodak All-American Thomas led the team in scoring with 32. As State’s all-time leading scorer, the junior standout was 9-18 on field goals and 14-17 from the line. Fambrough added 17, and White capitalized on 9-12 free throws to put her total at 22, to go along with a team-high six assists.
Fanning said that she thought that MSU did a good job of communicating through mistakes. State had plenty of opportunities to communicate through these mistakes as Fanning’s squad survived 30 turnovers. Normally, committing 30 turnovers is a good way to guarantee a loss. However, cold shooting from behind the arc (0-7 in the first half, 4-18 on the game) kept the Arkansas offense in check. The Lady Hogs outshot the Lady Dogs by 14, but made only six more of those field goals.
While Arkansas and State’s free throw percentages were very close (75 and 77.8). State made 28 of 36 from the charity stripe, while the Hogs only visited the line 16 times.
Fanning commented, “We found a way to win.” Finishing with, “To be a really good team, you have to win on the road. I hope that we take the good things from tonight’s game to Oxford.”
Sunday the Dogs did just that. Outperforming Ole Miss in every offensive category, the Dogs left for Starkville with their second blowout victory of the season against the Lady Rebels. The first match resulted in an 82-57 triumph on Jan. 10.
In the second meeting the Lady Dogs shot an impressive 48 percent from the field, including a hot 6-11 from three-point range. State once again had an edge from the foul line, making 21-29, while U of M made 14-22. Also, State snatched 46 boards off the glass, while Ole Miss could only come down with 32. Both teams posted even numbers of steals and blocks. State also reduced turnovers from the last outing by nine, and had 17 assists. Ole Miss had four players score double figures, but that could not match the team effort that State countered with. Nine players for the Lady Bulldogs found the bottom of the net at least once. This team effort was fueled by another stellar performance from the tandem of Thomas and White, who both posted double doubles. Thomas led the team with points and boards. White led the team with seven assists to go along with her 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Up next for the Lady Bulldogs is a visit to Athens for a rematch with Georgia.