The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs (20-6, 8-4) led by one at halftime but turned up the defensive pressure in the second half Sunday and pulled away with a win over the University of Mississippi (12-13,1-11). The 70-62 win marked just the second time in school history that the Lady Bulldogs have notched 20 wins.
“I was not pleased with the 40-minute effort of our team tonight,” MSU head coach Sharon Fanning said following Sunday’s contest. “In the second half we got a big lead and I wish we could have nailed it, but we knew that they (Mississippi) would keep fighting.”
The Lady Bulldogs led by as many as nine points during the first 20 minutes of action, but Mississippi fought back to trail 27-26 at the break. A 3-point basket by Tan White with 16:38 remaining in the game gave the Lady Bulldogs their first double-digit lead. MSU pushed the lead to as many as 18 in the second half and coasted to the win.
The key for MSU was a 50 percent outing from the field in the second half. The Lady Bulldogs finished the game shooting 42 percent while Mississippi shot just 37. The Lady Bulldogs also forced 26 Rebel turnovers.
LaToya Thomas posted a game-high 37 points and moved to No. 10 on the NCAA all-time scoring list with 2,828 career points. Thomas finished the game with eight rebounds as well. White added 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Lady Bulldogs.
For the Rebels, Genice Terry finished with 19 points on 4-of-6 from 3-point range and added a game-high nine boards. Ashley Johnson added 16, and Amber Watts chipped in 11 to round out the Lady Rebels in double-digits.
With the win on Sunday, the Lady Bulldogs stand in a tie for fourth place in the SEC with Vanderbilt and just one game behind of Georgia for the third spot. On Thursday MSU will host the visiting Bulldogs with a chance to claim a share of the third spot.
With SEC Tourney seeding on the line, MSU will honor three seniors during the Thursday night contest. LaToya Thomas, Renea Jones and Keisha Stringfellow will play their final regular season game at the Humphrey Coliseum.
“This will be a big game for us,” Fanning said. “Our fans need to really come out and support these girls and help to take our program to another level. Toya stayed in Mississippi, and anyone who is a Mississippi State fan should come out and see her final game.
“Success breeds success in athletics, and we need all the support we can get from our fans. Y’all will be the sixth player out there Thursday night.”
No. 13 Georgia (18-7, 9-3) will come into Thursday night’s match-up after defeating No. 15 Arkansas 69-60. The visiting Bulldogs will be without their leading scorer Kara Braxton, who has been suspended from the team.
Leading the way for Georgia is Christi Thomas, averaging just over 15 points per contest, and Alexis Kendrick with 12. In the first meeting this season, Thomas posted 22 points and three blocks.
Game time for the Senior Night festivities at The Hump is set for 7 p.m.