Diamber Johnson did it again for the Mississippi State Bulldogs as the team pulled off a come-from-behind win over the Auburn Tigers in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon. Johnson led the team with 27 points, 17 of which came in the second half as she willed the team to victory.
It was 2005 last time the Mississippi State women’s basketball team beat the Auburn Tigers at the Hump, and the first half of Sunday’s game seemed no different. After a fast start for the Dogs, the baskets were few and far between the rest of the half. State began the game 3-3 before going 1-14 during a long drought offensively. The only thing that went right for State in the first half was the fact that the Georgia women were beating Ole Miss 28-2 simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the Tigers took advantage of MSU turnovers and out-rebounded the Dogs 26-15 in the first to take a 28-20 lead at the half. Eight Tigers scored in the first half, whereas only four Bulldogs touched the scoreboard. A three-pointer by Johnson as time expired in the half cut the lead to single digits and gave the Dogs the momentum heading into the locker rooms.
Head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said there were a few defensive stops which gave the team some momentum late in the half.
“When we talked at halftime, it was about energy and for the most part rebounding, blocking out and taking care of the basketball,” Fanning-Otis said. “I challenged them to take it at people when they went zone. We had a couple of lulls where we didn’t take it at them, but once we regrouped a couple of shots fell and that helped us gain momentum.”
The second half was all MSU as hustle plays and key buckets kept State in the game. Johnson had a combination of three-pointers old-fashioned three point plays to cut the lead, and she made a big play every time the game was tied or the Dogs were in striking distance.
However, Johnson did have some help throughout the game. Freshman Kendra Grant finished with a career-high 15 points, including a pair of three pointers. Also, freshman Martha Alwal recorded nine points, 10 rebounds and five blocks as she continued her solid play.
Fanning-Otis said the freshmen are learning to play with the team, which is key to having several players contributing.
“It takes balance to win in this league. The freshmen have to become wiser as they play, and you don’t want to repeat the same mistakes, but rather you have to have courage to step up and make a play,” Fanning-Otis said. “I’m really proud of Kendra and Martha as they are growing, and you are going to see them continue to step up.”
Grant said she realized the importance of helping Johnson as much as possible and tries to have fun while doing so.
“I did have fun; if I’m too serious or have too much on my mind, the game is hard,” Grant said. “But we knew we needed this win, and it just felt good. Normally teams know I’m a three-point shooter, but I drove today and shocked myself.”
A key play in the game came with 35 seconds left and the Dogs up three. The Tigers were in a full-court press, but Johnson hit Alwal on a length of the court pass to put MSU up by five. A steal by Porter in the closing seconds secured the 62-57 victory for the Dogs.
The theme of the year stayed consistent for State as Johnson came through play after play to keep the Dogs in the game. Johnson’s 27 points marked the ninth time this year and the third time in four games she has scored 20 or more points. She also moved to 19th on MSU’s all-time scoring list with her solid performance.
Johnson said she knew the team could not afford any more losses at this point.
“I always try to get my teammates involved, but it came a point and time that I could only get it to them by what I initiated, either shooting or passing it to them,” Johnson said. “The coaches have been telling me to take over games and not be scared of success, and they told me to take on that role and the team would follow.”
With the win the Dogs moved to 2-3 in the SEC and recorded their 13th win of the season, tying last year’s total in just their 19th game. Johnson said the team understands the game more than it did last year and is doing more to fix its problems.
“We kept our heads in it, and our mindset is to always fight the bigger battle in the game, and when we got there we kept pushing through,” Johnson said. “It’s usually more of what we do to ourselves, so when we focus on that we’re a tough team to beat. It’s our whole mind-set that this is something we feel like we want, and we are doing the little things it takes to get there.”
The Bulldogs will look to move to .500 in SEC play when they host the Arkansas Razorbacks this Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Hump.