After upsetting the then-No. 11 ranked University of Georgia a year ago at home, the Mississippi State University Lady Bulldogs duplicated that same success Sunday as they tamed the Georgia Bulldogs 80-67 at the Humphrey Coliseum.
With the win, the Lady Bulldogs have now won three of the last four in this series at home. Their record now improves to 16-7 and 3-6 in conference play. 
MSU has now won back-to-back home conference games for the first time since 2010, and will try to go for a three-peat this Thursday when they host the No. 7 South Carolina Gamecocks.
Head coach Vic Schaefer said he liked the poise his team played with throughout the game.
“I’m really proud of my kids,” Schaefer said. “I thought everyone on our team that played today made a play when we needed it.”
The Lady Bulldogs displayed one of their best offensive outings all year Sunday.  Offensive efficiency was at its highest, as they shot 52 percent from the field, 67 percent from the three-point line and 77 percent from the charity stripe. 
With this great offensive production, the team was able to get three players in double figures. 
Sophomore center Martha Alwal led the way with 20 points. She also snagged down seven rebounds, which moves her into ninth place on MSU’s all-time rebounding list with 704 total. 
Senior guard Katia May also contributed in a major way, as she scored 17 points — setting her career high.
Despite coming up short in a few close games this year, it is evident that this Bulldog team is a completely different team from a year ago. 
Its toughness and competitive mentality have now opened eyes to everyone around the league, including UGA head coach Andy Landers, who said he was  impressed with the MSU Lady Bulldogs team.
“They’re a good basketball team. They’re very solid.  They have good guard play and good inside play,” Landers said.
The Lady Bulldogs have multiple scoring options they can rely on and have been receiving key contributions from everyone on the team all season long. 
The team has been getting great production from its bench as well, which is one of the main improvements from a year ago. 
Alwal said having a different variety of scoring options makes things a lot easier for the team when game-time comes.
“We can all score, and we all bring something different to the table. When one person goes down, we know we have someone else who can come right in and contribute right away without skipping a beat,” she said.
Schaefer said the team’s chemistry and cohesiveness is a big difference between this year’s team and last year’s team.
“My returners have an appreciation for our new kids,” he said. “They appreciate the fact that they are skilled, can play and they’re helping us become better and win ball games.”