Sometimes it is the size of the dog in the fight.
That was the case on Sunday when the Mississippi Lady Rebels defeated the Lady Bulldogs 69-60 in Oxford.
The Lady Rebels owned a 38-24 edge in the paint and a 49-31 rebounding gap as 6-foot-4-inch Amber Terrell scored nine points and grabbed eight boards off the bench.
“Our bench was huge-they gave us valuable minutes,” UM head coach Carol Ross said. “Terrell anchored the paint.”
Terrell wasn’t the only one picking on the smaller Dawgs who tried to counter with 6-footers Rebecca Kates and Mamie McKinney. Six-foot-3-inch Amber Watts finished with 16 points in 20 minutes on 7-11 from the field.
The Lady Dawgs are used to being the shortest team in the league according to Kates, a junior who frequently guards players who are three to six inches taller.
“We know the other teams are going to be bigger,” Kates said. “Mamie and I work on our quickness and footwork for post D.”
Kates played the three position in AAU basketball, but has played in the low post since coming to Mississippi State.
The Lady Rebels padded the difference with the play of guard Carletta Brown who added 14 points and forward Armintie Price who scored 13 and boarded 11.
“Price played with confidence and tremendous energy,” MSU head coach Sharon Fanning said.
The Lady Dawgs fell behind early and trailed by double digits at intermission for the third straight game. State once again surged in the second half, but could not make enough defensive stops and missed eight free throws. The Lady Dawgs finished the game 9-20 from the charity stripe.
Tan White led the Lady Dawgs with 22 points, but went 7-19 from the field. Tiania Burns added 10 points.
Fanning said the Lady Dawgs are not playing fundamental basketball.
“Our assist to turnover ratio has been a big issue,” Fanning said.
The Lady Dawgs recorded 12 assists but committed 19 turnovers.
Things won’t be getting easier for the undersized Lady Dawgs in Sunday’s game at Alabama.
The Crimson Tide have two girls at 6-foot-4 and one at 6-foot-5.
Fanning says the Lady Dawgs must put more pressure in full court defense and improve positioning in half court defense.
“We have to be more scrappy and block out a step further from the goal,” Fanning said. “Positioning is so important.”