Mississippi State
11-4 (2-0SEC)
#17 Vanderbilt
12-3 (1-1SEC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt | 40 | 36 | 76 |
| Mississippi State | 37 | 53 | 90 |
Lady Bulldogs Upset #17 Vandy, 90-76, To Move To 2-0 In SEC Play
January 07, 2010 | 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. - Mississippi State rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit to knock off 17th-ranked Vanderbilt 90-76 in a Southeastern Conference women's basketball game played Thursday night in the Humphrey Coliseum.
A boisterous crowd braved the bitterly cold weather conditions to watch the Lady Bulldogs improve to 11-4 overall and 2-0 in league play. MSU is now 9-0 at home with this being the smallest margin of victory for the Lady Bulldogs on their home hardwood this season. The 2-0 league start is MSU's first since 2005. Vanderbilt fell to 12-3 and 1-1.
For MSU, it was their highest ranked defeated opponent since knocking off 14th-ranked Georgia 76-71 in Starkville in 2003. The Lady Bulldogs have now beaten the Lady Commodores in back-to-back meetings for the first time since 1981. The win Thursday night was also matched the second largest margin of victory ever against the Lady Commodores.
"In the first half, they were really kicking us," MSU head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said. "Then somehow we found a way to make some stops. Early in the game we were shooting contested jump shots. We were able to move the ball inside the paint more later and they opened up better looks."
The Lady Bulldogs actually battled back from a 34-19 first-half deficit. The hosts fought hard to close the halftime deficit to 40-37. MSU took its first second-half lead at 47-45 on a Mary Kathryn Govero jumper with 16:16 remaining. Eventually, MSU pieced together at 46-15 run and opened up their own 16-point advantage with 7:49 remaining.
"In the final 10 possessions of the first half, Vanderbilt only scored three times," Fanning-Otis said. "That was very big for us. We did a better job of passing the ball and making better decisions in the second half. Obviously, the defensive effort was much better right there at the end of the first half and throughout the second half."
Vanderbilt scored at will throughout the first 10 minutes of the contest. Both teams sprinted out of the gates with a 12-all deadlock less than five minutes into the contest. The Lady Commodores used a balanced inside attack, mixed with some quality 3-point shooting, to sprint out to the 34-19 advantage with 4:15 left in the half. From there, MSU ended the half with an 18-6 run.
The half-ending run included a 3-point basket and Govero, as well as a putback and 3-pointer from Alexis Rack.
The Lady Bulldogs took matters into their own hands in the second half, quickly grabbing the lead on Govero's jumper just prior to the first media timeout. A 14-2 run gave MSU its first double-digit advantage at 57-47 with 9:53 remaining.
From there, the challenge was to overcome the Vanderbilt full-court pressure. That challenge was complicated by three starters - Rack, Govero and Armelie Lumanu - playing most of the final 10 minutes with four personal fouls. Both Mokango and Lumanu fouled out prior to the contest ending.
Still, Rack's third 30-point game of the season and a 17-of-23 performance at the free throw line in the final half allowed the Lady Bulldogs to nurse what became no less than an eight-point advantage the rest of the way.
For the contest, the Lady Bulldogs hit 31 of 67 shots from the field (46.3 percent), 8 of 25 shots from 3-point range (32.0 percent) and 20 of 27 shots from the foul line (74.1 percent). The Lady Commodores hit 29 of 59 shots from the field (49.2 percent), 8 of 19 shots from 3-point range (42.1 percent) and 10 of 15 shots from the foul line (66.7 percent).
MSU had 14 assists and 13 turnovers, while VU had 14 assists and 16 turnovers.
Rack finished with a game-high 31 points, including four 3-point baskets, and five assists. Also in double figures were Lumanu with 18 points, Govero with 14 points, Chanel Mokango with 12 points and Diamber Johnson with 10 points. Lumanu also had a team-high nine rebounds.
Merideth Marsh paced Vanderbilt with 28 points. The Lady Commodores also received 12 points from Jessica Mooney, 11 points from Hannah Tuomi and 11 points from Jence Rhoads. Tiffany Clarke had a team-high eight rebounds for the Lady Commodores.
The Lady Bulldogs host fourth-ranked Tennessee in a 1 p.m. start Sunday. That contest will be televised regionally by The SEC Network.
