In front of a raucous crowd of 3,173, the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat the Ole Miss Lady Rebels 69-64.
“Effort, effort and don’t ever give up. I am very proud of this basketball team. They found a way to come back and win the ballgame,” MSU head coach Sharon Fanning said. “In the second half, we talked about applying pressure and not giving up. We knew we could work back into the game if we did not lose our composure.”
Alliesha Easley’s free throw with 14:05 remaining in the second half gave the Lady Rebels a 55-39 lead. From there, the Lady Bulldogs went on a 32-9 run to close out the game.
“We talked a lot about this game going in and how you had to handle possessions, rebound the ball and defend, and we did for the most part, for about 30 minutes. In the last nine, we completely got out of our game plan,” Ole Miss head coach Renee Ladner said. “However, I will give Coach Fanning’s team a lot of credit. They came at us, even after being down 19. They popped us in the mouth and we did not handle it well.”
The Lady Bulldogs (13-3, 1-1 SEC) were led by junior point guard Alexis Rack’s 19 points, 17 of which came in the second half.
“In the first half, I was just trying to get into it and focus on executing. I came out in the second half and was just in attack mode,” Rack said.
Junior forward Armelie Lumanu added 15 points for the Lady Bulldogs, and freshman Diamber Johnson added four points and five assists off the bench.
“I think Diamber showed the example on the floor, just how she pushed the ball and generated more energy. I think that was contagious,” Fanning said.
Senior guard Robin Porter had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Lady Bulldogs, while junior forward Chanel Mokango added 10 points and nine blocks, including five in the final three minutes.
“I’m not going to say it shows that we can do it, because we know we can do it, as a team we know the fight is in us, we know we’re not going to let down anything, and we just keep playing until we get the win,” Rack said.
The Lady Rebels were led by junior guard Bianca Thomas’ 25 points. Senior center Shawn Goff added 12 points and three blocks.
Ladner said she credits the rowdy crowd as a big factor in Mississippi State’s comeback. The crowd was the largest of the year, and the fifth-largest ever in Lady Bulldog history.
“The crowd got involved and [Mississippi State] made big baskets. You could feel the momentum swing. It was incredible,” Ladner said. “I think if there had been 300 people in the bleachers, the outcome would have not been the same. I really believe that their crowd was their sixth man.”
Fanning agreed that the fans were the difference in the game and even took the time to publicly thank the fans after the game.
“I think the fans played a huge role. They really made a difference. The fans got fired up and the kids picked up on that,” Fanning said. “We need them in the stands.”
The Lady Bulldogs will now turn their attention to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, who are 12-3 (1-1 SEC). Tennessee was upset Sunday by Vanderbilt 74-58.
They are led in scoring by freshman Shekinna Stricklen, who is averaging 14 points per game. Sophomore guard Vicki Baugh leads the SEC in rebounds, with 9.7 per game. 2008 SEC Freshman of the Year Angie Bjorklund averages 13.1 points per game.
The Lady Vols are coached by Pat Summitt, the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history. The Lady Bulldogs have never beaten the Lady Vols in 28 all-time meetings.
The Lady Bulldogs will meet Tennessee Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.