Mississippi State
17-10, 8-6SEC
Auburn
13-14, 4-10SEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 22 | 28 | 50 |
| Mississippi State | 19 | 17 | 36 |
Lady Bulldogs Have Tough Senior Day In 50-36 Loss To Auburn
February 21, 2010 | Women's Basketball
• Official Statistics
• Official Statistics (PDF)
• Postgame Quotes (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State's worst offensive day of the season led to the Lady Bulldogs dropping a 50-36 decision to Auburn in a Southeastern Conference women's basketball game played Sunday afternoon in the Humphrey Coliseum.
A talented class of eight MSU seniors bowed out with an incredibly frustrating afternoon from the field. The Lady Bulldogs managed a season-low number of points and also shot its lowest percentage from the field this season (28.0 percent).
With the defeat, MSU fell into a tie with Vanderbilt for third place in the conference standings. The Lady Bulldogs slipped to 17-10 overall and 8-6 in league play, while the Lady Tigers improved to 13-14 and 4-10.
Auburn also made amends for an early-season 73-58 loss to MSU. The Lady Tigers have now won three straight on MSU's home floor.
"Our lack of effort and our lack of execution really hurt us today," MSU head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said. "You have to give credit to Auburn, as it was their effort that won the game for them. In this league, you can not think just because you beat a team in the last ballgame that you are going to beat them again. Everybody is working hard to get better."
Auburn started quickly, grabbing a 9-4 lead on a KeKe Carrier putback. The Lady Bulldogs answered a minute later, forcing a 9-9 tie on a Mary Kathryn Govero jumper. Both teams fell into an offensive slump from there with Auburn easing into the intermission with a 22-19 advantage.
A jumper by MSU's Chanel Mokango cut the Auburn lead to 22-21. However, the Lady Bulldogs failed to gain another tie or lead in the contest.
The guests put the contest away with a 10-0 run midway through the final half. A Morgan Toles jumper capped that run and placed the Lady Tigers on top 36-23. The lead would grow to as many as 16 down the stretch.
"For us to play the way we did is poor balance and focus," Fanning-Otis said. "The bottom line is we shoot 28 percent from the field and turn the ball over 18 times. You won't win a game if you don't take care of the basketball and play for each other."
For the contest, the Lady Bulldogs hit 14 of 50 shots from the field (28.0 percent), 2 of 15 shots from 3-point range (13.3 percent) and 6 of 9 shots from the foul line (66.7 percent). The Lady Tigers hit 20 of 55 shots from the field (36.4 percent), 6 of 18 shots from 3-point range (33.3 percent) and 4 of 9 shots from the foul line (44.4 percent).
MSU held a 39-35 rebounding advantage. The Lady Bulldogs had 10 assists and 18 turnovers, while the Lady Tigers had 12 assists and 14 turnovers.
Chanel Monkango was the lone Lady Bulldog in double figures with 12 points. Tysheka Grimes had a season-best 13 rebounds. In her final MSU home game, Alexis Rack had a string of 39 straight games with double figure scoring snapped as she tallied only three points.
Alli Smalley paced Auburn with 17 points, including four 3-point baskets. KeKe Carrier had a team-high seven rebounds for the Lady Tigers.
The Lady Bulldogs return to the road Thursday for a showdown with Alabama. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. in the Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. MSU closes the regular season with a 2 p.m. start Sunday at LSU.
