While the Mississippi State men’s basketball team was able to snap its losing streak Saturday, the Lady Bulldogs didn’t share the same fate Sunday.
Despite cutting South Carolina’s (12-8, 3-5 SEC) lead to two points with 40 seconds remaining after being down by as much as 10, MSU (6-16, 1-8 SEC) couldn’t top the Gamecocks and lost its seventh straight, by the score of 51-46.
“To the girls’ credit, we fought back hard and put ourselves in a position to win the game,” 11-year MSU head coach Sharon Fanning said. “If we play the way we did today, we will get better.”
In front of a crowd of 793, MSU and USC traded a mere 20 points between the two clubs during the entire opening 10 minutes of play, exhibiting shooting percentages under 20.
Junior Natasha Henderson, senior Blessing Chekwa and senior Mamie McKinney hit several key shots for the Lady Dawgs to close out the opening period.
Nearly a month since their last victory, the Lady Bulldogs trailed the Gamecocks by only two at the half.
However, Ilona Burgrova led her Gamecocks to a 10-2 run to stretch the lead to 10 points.
Over the next 5:30 minutes, sophomore Amy Reeder nailed two baskets from the corner to bring the Lady Dawgs back on a 9-3 run. Both teams traded baskets over the remaining minutes, with freshman Robin Porter’s jumper in the paint bringing the Lady Dawgs to within two with 40 seconds left.
The Gamecocks turned the ball over for the 22nd time seconds later, but the Lady Bulldogs were unable to sink any of their three attempts from the field. USC drove the nail in the coffin by swishing five of its last six free throws, sealing the victory.
Robin Porter led the Lady Bulldogs in the contest with her second career double-double, as she tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds on the night.
Mamie McKinney contributed 11 points and nine rebounds, while Amy Reeder pitched in nine points with two key three-point baskets late in the game and three baskets from the free throw line.
“The good thing is we are penetrating better and being more patient offensively,” Fanning said. “I thought that we were listening and focusing better, and we did not get down mentally. We do have to do a better job defensively, and we have to get better position.”
Fanning would probably deny that attaining her 500th victory is more important to her than just attaining a victory for the team. However, her lingering 500th victory is important to her team.
“It has been on my mind since we won game 499,” McKinney said. “Not only do we want to win it for her, but for our team. We have to come away with a win and get some confidence in our team. Winning one for her is winning one for MSU and her accolades.”
MSU’s four-game homestand will come to a close on Thursday as the Lady Bulldogs square off against the Florida Gators (17-5, 5-4 SEC) at 6 p.m. in the Humphrey Coliseum. The matchup will be televised regionally by Comcast / Charter Sports Southeast.