Mississippi State
16-9, 7-5SEC
South Carolina
13-11, 6-6SEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 23 | 32 | 55 |
| South Carolina | 23 | 30 | 53 |
Lady Bulldogs Claim 55-53 Win In Wild Finish At South Carolina
February 11, 2010 | Women's Basketball
• Official Statistics
• Official Statistics (PDF)
COLUMBIA, S.C. - For the second consecutive game, Mississippi State went to the wire with its opponent but Thursday night turned out much happier for the Lady Bulldogs. Up by as many as eight points in the second half, State held off a late South Carolina rally in the final minutes to conserve a 55-53 win in a wild finish.
Down 39-33 with 7:45 remaining in regulation, Mississippi State went on a 13-0 run to retake the lead at 46-39 with 5:17 to go.
State maintained a small lead the rest of the way, but South Carolina had two chances to tie the game in the final minute. With State leading 54-51, USC's Valerie Nainima hit a layup and was fouled, but missed the free throw that would have tied the contest.
MSU's Alexis Rack was then fouled with seven seconds to go in the game, but made only one of two free throws. South Carolina had 2.9 seconds to manufacture a final attempt for a tie or win, but Kelsey Bone's jumper was off the mark, preserving the Lady Bulldog win in an exciting finish.
MSU was led by Alexis Rack and Chanel Mokango, each contributing 15 points. Mokango had seven rebounds and Rack tallied five assists. Tysheka Grimes added 10 points to the Lady Bulldog cause.
South Carolina was paced by Nainimi's 15 points.
South Carolina took an early lead in the contest, ahead by as many as eight in the opening period. USC would hold the lead until the 3:47 mark of the first half. State took its first lead of the game at 21-19 on a Tysheka Grimes jumper with 3:16 left in the first. The teams would score just six total points combined to bring the halftime score to 23-23.
Mississippi State returns home Sunday to take on Ole Miss in a 4:25 p.m. CT tip to be televised live by ESPN2. It will also be "Think Pink" Day. The Lady Bulldogs will close out their 2009-10 home schedule Feb. 21 by hosting Auburn.
