Up by one with 1.2 seconds left in the game, the Mississippi State University women’s basketball team had the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats on the ropes, but couldn’t quite deliver the knock-out punch. The Lady Bulldogs made a crucial foul within that 1.2 seconds to send the Wildcats to the free-throw line with a chance to win the game. The Wildcats missed their first free-throw, but then made their second one, which sent MSU into its third-consecutive overtime game.  In overtime, State scored the first three points of the period but eventually ran out of gas. MSU went on to drop the game 81-74.
MSU had to quickly erase the loss as it got ready to prepare for its final game of the season against the University of Georgia. MSU beat Georgia earlier in the season by 13 points and hoped for the same results again this time around, but unfortunately, things did not go as planned. The Lady Bulldogs were ousted by 29 points and lost 77-48.
MSU finished the regular season with a record of 18-12 and 5-11 in conference play.  Although it dropped the final two games of the season, head coach Vic Schaefer said he loves the passion and competitiveness his team displayed.
“Our kids are doing all they can do,” Schaefer said. “Our freshmen are playing great. At times they make freshman mistakes, but they’re really doing some good things.”
Despite losing their final two games of the season, the Lady Dogs have to keep moving forward as they get ready for a tougher challenge, the SEC Tournament. The team will use its same hard-nosed, gritty style of play just as it has all season long but will need to take things up a notch in order to make a deep run in the tournament. 
Just like in many of the games it has played this year, MSU is the underdog heading into postseason play. The team drew the No. 13 seed and will face No. 12 University of Missouri on Wednesday at 6 p.m.  
In their matchup against Mizzou earlier this season, the Lady Bulldogs defeated the Tigers by 13 points and will look to duplicate that same success again in the tournament.
Junior guard Kendra Grant said she and her teammates are used to being the underdog.
“This year, a lot of people had already counted us out in games before they even started, and we still competed and have been close in those games,” Grant said.
Schaefer said he considers the SEC to be the biggest and baddest conference in the nation. MSU has gone toe-to-toe with everyone in the league and even pulled a few upsets along the way.  The Lady Dogs gained respect and notoriety from everyone throughout the conference.  
Freshman Breanna Richardson said the simple fact of knowing they can compete with the best teams gives the Lady Bulldogs a confidence booster going into the SEC Tournament.
“It just shows that we actually are really good,” Richardson said.  “Sometimes, I think we underestimate ourselves, and when we come out and play against teams like (Kentucky), it shows we actually can compete and we have a chance to win.”
The SEC Tournament will be held in Duluth, Ga., March 5-9.  
Schaefer said he is confident in his team to continue success at the SEC Tournament. 
“We’ve been playing with our young kids all year, we’ve been playing with veterans all year and these kids deserve to reap the benefits of winning,” he said.