Mississippi State
6-3
#5 Xavier
10-0
Lady Bulldogs Fall At #5 Xavier
December 17, 2010 | Women's Basketball
CINCINNATI, Ohio - Mississippi State's offensive struggles continued as the Lady Bulldogs dropped a 61-36 decision to fifth-ranked Xavier in a women's basketball game played Friday night at the Cintas Center.
Despite shooting 22 percent from the floor, the Lady Bulldogs (6-3) hung tough until the waning moments Friday night. Xavier (10-0) only held a 44-33 lead with 6:03 left in regulation. From there, the Musketeers reeled off an 11-0 run removing all doubt from the contest.
Both teams struggled offensively in the early stages of the contest. The Musketeers finally broke away from 4-4 tie with 11 straight points. The Lady Bulldogs went more than six minutes without scoring from the field.
Finally, the long range shooting of Mary Kathryn Govero sparked the Lady Bulldogs' offensive attack. Thanks to the first of Govero's three treys, the Lady Bulldogs closed within 17-11. MSU also found a spark on the defensive end.
The Maroon and White trailed 29-19 at the intermission.
The Lady Bulldogs closed within eight on two different occasions in the opening minutes of the second half. However, the guests could get no closer the remainder of the way.
Trailing 44-33, MSU failed to convert on back-to-back offensive possessions, as Xavier began to mount its game-deciding run.
After shooting 38 percent in the game's opening half, the Musketeers found a rhythm late, hitting 52 percent of its shots in the game's final half.
The Lady Bulldogs hit 13 of 59 shots from the field (22.0 percent), 4 of 21 shots from 3-point range (19.0 percent) and 6 of 9 shots from the foul line (66.7 percent). The Musketeers hit 26 of 58 shots from the field (44.8 percent), 3 of 13 shots from 3-point range (23.1 percent) and 6 of 14 shots from the foul line (42.9 percent).
Xavier held a 48-36 rebounding advantage. The Lady Bulldogs had nine assists and 15 turnovers, while the Musketeers had 18 assists and 17 turnovers.
Govero paced the Lady Bulldogs with 16 points, including a 5-for-16 night from the field. Ashley Brown was plagued by early foul trouble but still pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Porsha Porter had six points, seven rebounds and a team-high five assists.
Xavier received a pair of double-doubles from Amber Harris (22
points, 13 rebounds) and Ta'Shia Phillips (13 points, 15 rebounds).
The Lady
Bulldogs host Mississippi Valley State at 7 p.m.
Monday.
