Give credit to the 17,000 fans packed into “The Pit”; notch one up for the generous calls, or no calls, from the man and women in black and white; give the advantage because of the altitude or just say the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs never found an answer for the home standing No. 6 seed New Mexico Lobos.
The Lady Bulldogs ran into a red and white roadblock last night in Albuquerque, N.M., as they made a bid for their first trip to the women’s Sweet 16. The Lobos finished the night shooting 47 percent from the field, while the Lady Bulldogs shot just 26 percent in the second half. New Mexico earned their first trip to the Sweet 16 with the 73-61 victory.
In the first half the Lady Bulldogs could not stop the hot shooting Lobos squad. New Mexico knocked down their first six attempts from 3-point range to build a 26-16 lead.
MSU dropped into a zone defense with 11 minutes to play in the first half, and the switch slowed the Lobo long-range attack. The Bulldogs held New Mexico to 3-of-13 from 3-point range for the remainder of the first half.
The Lobos, on the strength of 9-of-18 from 3-point range, took a 41-30 lead after the first 20 minutes of play. Five New Mexico players made a 3-point basket in the first half, and every player that saw the floor scored.
In the second half, the Lobos could not continue their hot shooting, missing on their first three 3-point attempts. Using a stiff man-to-man defense in the opening of the second half, the Lady Bulldogs were able to slow the Lobos and cut into the lead. With 16:53 remaining, Tan White nailed a long three to get the Bulldogs to five points at 43-38. New Mexico quickly answered and pushed the lead back to 10, and the Bulldogs never got closer.
“In the second half we did better, our intensity on defense was better,” MSU assistant coach Sharon Allen said in a post-game radio interview. “We did not come out in the first five minutes of the game as we did in the last five.”
LaToya Thomas, in her last game in Maroon and White, once again led the Lady Bulldogs, posting another double-double with 29 points and 16 rebounds. She finishes her Bulldog career with 2,981 points, first on the Bulldog all-time list, second in the SEC and seventh on the NCAA list.
The only other Bulldog in double figures was White, she finished the night with 17 points to go along with her nine rebounds.
For the Lobos, Jordan Adams and Mandi Moore each posted 19 points. Adams finished the game with a double-double as she pulled down 10 rebounds, and Moore knocked down 5-of-8 from long range.
The biggest difference in the game was the hot start by the Lobos and the 3-point baskets. New Mexico finished the game shooting 43 percent from behind the arc on 13-31, while MSU was 4-of-22 for just 27 percent.