Lady Bulldogs Stay Perfect With 69-46 Victory Over Delta Devilettes

Tuesday, November 25

Starkville

7:00 PM

Mississippi State

3-0

Mississippi Valley State

0-2

Team	1	2	F
MV	25	21	46
Mississippi State	36	33	69

#13 Texas Hands #19 Lady Bulldogs First Loss Of Season, 73-55

Lady Bulldogs Stay Perfect With 69-46 Victory Over Delta Devilettes

November 25, 2008 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)
? Postgame Quotes (PDF)

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State overcame a sluggish start to knock off in-state rival Mississippi Valley State 69-46 in women's college basketball action Tuesday night in the Humphrey Coliseum.

The Lady Bulldogs closed their season-opening three-game homestand with a third straight victory. MVSU fell to 0-2 but battled much harder than a year ago, when MSU recorded a 104-45 victory on this same floor.

The Delta Devilettes actually held a 13-6 advantage at the 13:39 mark of the opening half. From there, MSU used an 18-2 run to take the lead for good in the contest. The Lady Bulldogs managed 36-25 advantage at halftime and stretched the lead to as many as19 and 21 on two different occasions. The final margin was the largest lead in the contest.

“We didn't have a lot of focus on the defensive end,” MSU head coach Sharon Fanning said. “The players have to realize how important it is to play every possession. We had a real slow start. In the second half, we played a with lot more intensity and urgency.”

The Lady Bulldogs had a balanced offensive attack Tuesday night. Armelie Lumanu led MSU with 15 points, while Alexis Rack scored 12 points and Chanel Mokango scored 10 points. Lumanu provided a spark in the final half, scoring six straight points during a decisive 12-2 run.

“Sometimes we lose a little focus,” said Rack, a junior guard. “We have some new players and it is a matter of putting everything together. We weren't real pleased with how we played in this game tonight.”

For the first time this season, the Lady Bulldogs were below 50 percent from the field. MSU was 26 of 66 from the floor, for 39.4 percent. The Lady Bulldogs were 4 of 16 from 3-point land (25.0 percent) and 13 of 16 from the foul line (81.3 percent).

The Delta Devilettes were almost as cold. MVSU was 17 of 59 from the field (28.8 percent), 4 of 10 from 3-point range (40.0 percent) and 8 of 9 from the foul line (88.9 percent).

Led by nine rebounds from Lemanu and eight boards from Donnisha Tate, MSU did hold a 45-38 advantage in the rebounding category. MSU was credited with 18 assists but turned the ball over a season-high 18 times. Defensively, the Lady Bulldogs did harass MVSU into 24 turnovers.

Kanesha Smith led Valley with 15 points and seven rebounds.

The Lady Bulldogs celebrate Thanksgiving on the road this week. MSU plays Louisiana-Lafayette at 2 p.m. in the Cajun Dome Friday afternoon in Lafayette, La.