Despite trailing for much of the game, including being down by as many as 11 points, the No. 13 MSU Lady Bulldogs pulled out their third straight win over the University of Mississippi. MSU used a late 12-0 run to take a 29-28 lead at halftime, but quickly relinquished the lead in the second half as the Rebels lead by as many as eight points during the final period.
With the 69-60 victory Sunday, the Lady Bulldogs improved to 13-3, 2-1 with their eighth win in the last 10 meetings over their instate rival Rebels. Mississippi fell to 11-5, 1-3 and suffered their first home loss this season.
MSU’s career scoring leader, LaToya Thomas, led all scorers with 30 points, and her nine rebounds made her the all-time leading rebounder in school history with 944. Thomas’ newest record makes her the leader in seven categories in MSU history.
Tan White posted the Bulldogs’ only double-double of the contest with 15 points and 11 rebounds. White also notched five steals and four assists. Rebecca Kates added 10 points to round out the double figure scorers for the Bulldogs. Doceide Warren scored eight points to go along with a career-high seven assists.
Amber Watts led the Rebels with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Watts also connected on all ten free-throw opportunities during the game. Terry Genice added 18 points for Mississippi, including 3-of-9 from beyond the 3-point stripe.
For the game, the Bulldogs shot just 37 percent from the field, but held Mississippi to just 27 percent including 23 percent during the second half. The Bulldogs outworked the Rebels on the glass pulling down 45 rebounds to 41 for the Rebels.
MSU’s next game will be Sunday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn., as the Bulldogs travel to take on No. 4 Tennessee Lady Volunteers.
The Lady Bulldogs will look to claim their first ever win over Tennessee. The Lady Volunteers hold the all-time season record at 19-0.
The Lady Volunteers come into the game ranked second in the SEC in scoring with just over 80 points per contest. Tennessee also leads the SEC in scoring margin, defeating their opponents this season by an average of 26.5 points.
The Lady Volunteers also lead the conference in 3-point field goal percentage, knocking down 43 percent.
Gwen Jackson leads the Lady Volunteers with 15 points per contest. Kara Lawson averages 13 points for Tennessee. Ashley Robinson leads the Lady Volunteers with 6.4 rebounds per contest. Tennessee point guard Loree Moore leads the team with five assists and three steals per contest.
Gametime is set for a 2 p.m. tip-off at the 24,000 seat Thompson-Boling Assembly Center and Arena.