Mississippi State
6-2
Southern Miss
5-4
State Women Post 50-40 Win At Southern Miss
December 15, 2010 | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Mississippi State turned in its best defensive performance of the season Wednesday night. The Lady Bulldogs held Southern Mississippi to 21.3 percent shooting from the field in a 50-40 victory at Reed Green Coliseum.
MSU improved to 6-2 on the young campaign and also won a third straight against its in-state rivals. Despite some offensive struggles of their own, the Lady Bulldogs still gave Coach Sharon Fanning-Otis a very happy birthday.
Southern Miss fell to 5-4 with the defeat.
“We held them to 21 percent shooting,” Fanning-Otis said. “There were a lot of rebounds for both teams. Fortunately, we were able to get a bunch of them. We also forced 22 turnovers. Defensively, it was a great game. Any time you win on the road it makes for a happy birthday.”
The contest was nip-and-tuck throughout the first half. MSU held an 18-17 lead with 4:34 left before halftime. From there, the Lady Bulldogs pieced together a 7-2 run. A Diamber Johnson jumper ran the advantage to 25-19 inside the final minute.
MSU held a 27-22 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Lady Bulldogs took the defensive pressure to another level. Over the last 20 minutes, Southern Miss converted only 3-of-25 shots from the field for 12 percent shooting.
On its opening possession of the second half, Southern Miss' Danielle Johnson hit a 3-point basket. After that make, the Lady Eagles got no closer than two points the remainder of the way.
The Lady Bulldogs followed with an 11-1 run to create the first double-digit margin of the contest. Danielle Rector had a jumper and then followed with back-to-back free throws to cap that run. After that run, the hosts got no closer than eight points the remainder of the way.
“Overall, very proud of the defensive effort,” Fanning-Otis said. “Offensively, we had some struggles. However, we were able to make enough plays to win the game.”
For the contest, the Lady Bulldogs hit 18 of 55 shots from the field (32.7 percent), 1 of 12 shots from 3-point range (8.3 percent) and 13 of 24 shots from the foul line (52.7 percent). The Lady Eagles hit 10 of 47 shots from the field (21.3 percent), 3 of 13 shots from 3-point range (23.1 percent) and 17 of 22 shots from the foul line (77.3 percent).
MSU held a 43-39 rebounding advantage. The Lady Bulldogs had seven assists and 16 turnovers, while the Lady Eagles had four assists and 22 turnovers.
Ashley Brown paced the Lady Bulldogs with 14 points and nine rebounds, just falling short of a double-double. Rector was also in double figures with 11 points. In her second contest with the Maroon and White, Catina Bett added seven points and eight rebounds, including six on the defensive end.
Jamierra Falkner paced the Lady Eagles with 13 points. Danielle Johnson added 11 points. Geneshia Dunbar had a team-high nine rebounds for Southern Miss.
The Lady Bulldogs remain on the road for a Friday night showdown with
fifth-ranked Xavier. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. CT at Cintas Center in
Cincinnati, Ohio.
