Mississippi State
6-2
Southern Miss
6-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| USM | 18 | 38 | 56 |
| MS | 32 | 45 | 77 |
State Women Handle Southern Miss, 77-56
November 29, 2007 | Women's Basketball
? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)
? Postgame Quotes (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs (6-2) defeated in-state rival Southern Mississippi (6-1) Thursday, closing out their two-game homestand, with a 77-56 victory over the Golden Eagles. With the win, Mississippi State Head Coach Sharon Fanning picked up her 200th victory at MSU.
In the first half, USM came out to take the lead early at 3-2 with more than 18 minutes to play in the period, marking the only time the Lady Bulldogs would trail in the first half. State played aggressive in the period, hitting 11-of-18 from the free-throw line. MSU also scored 15 points off of Golden Eagle turnovers, taking a 32-18 lead at the intermission.
Sophomore forward Tysheka Grimes led State in scoring in the first half, recording eight points. Sophomore guard Alexis rack added five assists for the Lady Bulldogs in the period. Junior forward Pauline Love was the leading scorer for Southern Mississippi at the break with seven points for the Golden Eagles.
State's impressive performance from the first half carried over into the second period. The closest Southern Mississippi would get to the Lady Bulldogs was 13 with more than 10 minutes to play in the game. The Lady Bulldogs once again played aggressive inside, making it to the free-throw line 21 times in the period.
Mississippi State had three players in double figures for the game. Sophomore forward Tysheka Grimes scored a season-high 20 points along with eight rebounds. Senior forward Imesia Jackson turned in another strong performance with 18 points, while making it to the free-throw line a career-high 13 times. For the second consecutive game, junior guard/forward Robin Porter scored in double figures with 12 points against the Golden Eagles.
Entering Thursday night's game, the Golden Eagles averaged 19.3 turnovers per contest, posting a positive assist/turnover ratio of 1.2. Mississippi State forced USM into 30 turnovers on the evening, scoring 31 points off those miscues. Southern Miss only had eight assists on the evening. MState committed just 12 turnovers with 18 assists for a positive assist/turnover ratio for the third time this season and second straight game.
Southern Mississippi was led by forward Pauline Love who posted a double-double for the Golden Eagles. The junior scored 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds in the game.
The Lady Bulldogs hit the road this weekend to take on another Conference USA foe in Memphis. Tipoff between the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Tigers is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT Sunday at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
