Mississippi State
1-0
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 24 | 24 | 48 |
| Mississippi State | 50 | 56 | 106 |
Lady Bulldogs Blow Past Arkansas-Pine Bluff 106-48 In Season Opener
November 13, 2009 | Women's Basketball
• Official Statistics
• Official Statistics (PDF)
• Postgame Quotes (PDF)
• FREE M2M VIDEO: Coach Fanning-Otis' Postgame Press Conference
• FREE M2M VIDEO: Postgame Player Interviews
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State women's basketball team opened its 2009-10 campaign in fine fashion Friday evening, downing Arkansas-Pine Bluff 106-48 at the Humphrey Coliseum in front of an announced crowd of 2,183. The Lady Bulldogs would lead by as many as 60 late in the second half, running away from the Lady Lions from the start.
"I was pleased to see a good team win, and it is great to get started with a win," head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said. "I was pleased with the balance and the points off the bench. Rebounding was exceptional. It was great to see the rotation. The more minutes people are out there, the more confidence they gain.
The Lady Bulldogs never trailed as they raced to a 10-0 lead to open play just over a minute into the game. State's largest lead in the first half would be the halftime score 50-24 as junior Mary Kathryn Govero converted on her third three-pointer of the half as time expired. MSU shot 45 percent for the first half while holding UAPB to 26.7 percent shooting overall in the opening period.
The Lady Bulldogs would extend their dominance to open the second half with an 11-3 run, taking the lead out to 63-27 three minutes into the second half. In the final 17 minutes of the contest, State would outscore the Lions 43-21 to run away with the victory.
Senior Tysheka Grimes led all Lady Bulldog scorers with 22 points while adding 12 rebounds to complete a double-double. Two more State players had double-doubles as Mary Kathryn Govero scored 12 points and had 13 rebounds while senior Chanel Mokango scored 11 points and added 11 boards. It marked the first time in school history three players have recorded a double-double in the same game.
Grimes moved into 24th place all-time in career scoring as she now has 834 career points. Rack moved within three points of ninth all-time on the scoring list at MSU with 1,195 points.
Mississippi State improved to 4-0 all time against UAPB with the win and won their 18th-straight against a Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent. The Lady Bulldogs also won their sixth-straight season opener while improving to 34-2 all time in home openers.
Mississippi State has a quick turnaround as it continues its homestand with a matchup against East Tennessee State on Sunday at 2 p.m.
