< After a teeter-tottering first half of the Southeastern Conference season, the Lady Bulldogs regained their balance Thursday.
Four Lady Bulldogs scored in double figures as State upset then-ranked-20th Florida Gators 88-76 at Humphrey Coliseum.
“That’s as good of a team win as we’ve had in my memory,” head coach Sharon Fanning said. “Inside, outside-it was a total team effort.”
The tandem of Tan White and Tiania Burns combined for 43 points.
“We came out focused and gained the momentum,” White said.
Mamie McKinney, a sophomore from Tallahassee, Fla., responded to a visit from her family by recording a career-high 16 points.
“I thought I got better looks tonight,” McKinney said.
Rebecca Kates scored a season-high 15, 12 of which came on 4-8 from three-point land.
“I was open because they were sagging on Mamie on the inside,” Kates said.
It worked both ways-McKinney’s play down low forced the Gator defense into a zone and Kates and White made them pay with seven treys.
The outside shooting opened the passing lanes for the low post and McKinney delivered.
McKinney and Kates also teamed up to handle 6-foot-4-inch Florida center Vanessa Hayden, whose 23 points became a non-factor.
“She’s-a big girl,” McKinney said. “We tried to use our quickness as an advantage.”
Fanning credited the defensive effort of McKinney and Kates saying, “We did a good job of rotating on Hayden. She had to work a lot for what she got-there were not many easy buckets.”
Florida head coach Carolyn Peck said based on the film she had seen the Dawgs played their most complete game all year.
Fanning credited the success to the team’s ability to refocus, even though it hasn’t quite been the year that the team hoped for.
Fanning believes that the team is now displaying an increased mental toughness that could help the Lady Dawgs make a run in the postseaon.
“We have to train the mental aspect,” she said. “There are all kinds of different emotions and situations to prepare for.”
On Sunday, the Lady Dawgs added additional proof that things are starting to come to fruition for a late-season surge as they evened their SEC record to 5-5 and completed the season sweep of the 9-14, 1-9 SEC Kentucky Wildcats with a 54-41 victory.
The Lady Dawgs reverted from the balance of Thursday’s win over Florida and came out with their 1-2 punch.
Burns and White combined for 41 points.
Blessing Chekwa was the next highest scorer for State with six points, but that was more than enough as Kentucky shot just 32 percent from the field and committed 22 turnovers.
McKinney led all rebounders with 10 boards.
Fanning credited senior Seneca Anderson for intangibles that aren’t on the stat sheets.
“Seneca talked to her teammates and told them to leave it out on the floor,” Fanning said. “Her defense and work ethic is making a difference on this basketball team right now.”
The Lady Dawgs are optimistic about the remaining games.
With the exception of a trip to LSU, State’s three remaining games are against teams below the Lady Dawgs in the conference standings.
“It’s a chance for us to start over,” White said. “We have nothing to lose.”