Mississippi State
11-1
#14 Maryland
11-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 28 | 45 | 73 |
| Maryland | 43 | 37 | 80 |
State Women Endure First Loss Of Season In Close Decision To #14 Maryland, 80-73
December 30, 2008 | Women's Basketball
? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Mississippi State saw its season-opening 11-game win streak snapped, as the Lady Bulldogs fell to 14th-ranked Maryland 80-73 in the championship game of the Terrapin Classic Tuesday afternoon.
MSU had matched the 1999-2000 team with its best start ever to a women's basketball season. The Lady Bulldogs failed to better that mark as the Lady Terrapins won their 26th straight game in the Comcast Center on the UM campus.
The Lady Bulldogs (11-1) grabbed their only lead of the contest at 9-8 in the early stages of the game's opening half. The Lady Terrapins responded with a 16-1 run to open up a 26-11 advantage with 9:48 left in the opening half. Maryland stretched the lead to 16 on four different occasions before settling for a 43-28 lead at the intermission.
In the opening half, Maryland (11-2) took advantage of a quicker, taller lineup to piece together a 65.4 percent shooting half from the floor. The Lady Terrapins hit 17 of 26 shot attempts in the opening half. That proved too much for an MSU squad, which was battling through foul issues for both Alexis Rack and Mary Kathryn Govero.
Rack hit three 3-point baskets in the opening half but was slowed by three personal fouls.
In the opening stages of the second half, the Lady Terrapins ran the lead to 49-31 on a basket by Kristi Toliver. Back-to-back 3-point baskets by Rack sparked a 10-0 run as the Lady Bulldogs battled back to a 49-41 deficit with 15:51 remaining.
MSU would eventually close the deficit to five points at 71-66 on a 3-point basket by Tysheka Grimes, followed by a steal and layup by Rack with 5:42 remaining. Maryland then scored the game's next eight points to move back out of danger.
Rack paced the Lady Bulldogs with 24 points, including a 6 of 14 night from 3-point range. Robin Porter and Grimes were each in double figures, with 10 points apiece. Armelie Lumanu and Grimes each had a team-high six rebounds, while Lumanu also dished out five assists.
Toliver led Maryland with 24 points and eight assists. Marah Strickland added four 3-point baskets and 16 total points, while Demauria Liles also had 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
The Lady Bulldogs were 28 of 59 from the field (47.5 percent), 10 of 23 from 3-point range (43.5 percent) and 7 of 10 from the foul line (70.0 percent). The Lady Terrapins were 28 of 52 from the field (53.8 percent), 8 of 16 from 3-point range (50.0 percent) and 16 of 22 from the foul line (72.7 percent).
MSU held a 32-29 rebounding advantage. The Lady Bulldogs had 11 assists and 19 turnovers, while the Lady Terrapins had 17 assists and 14 turnovers.
The Lady Bulldogs ring in the new year with a pair of home contests. MSU will face UAB at 7 p.m. Friday and Xavier at 2 p.m. Sunday. In the UAB contest, MSU will be trying to knock off its fourth Conference USA opponent. Meanwhile Atlantic 10 opponent Xavier has already knocked off SEC rivals LSU and Kentucky this season. MSU begins the new year with a 6-0 mark in the Humphrey Coliseum.
