Mississippi State
16-0 (1-0SEC)
#19 Georgia
12-2 (0-1SEC)
No. 17/18 MSU Surges Past No. 19 Georgia 64-56 In SEC Opener
January 03, 2015 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A 15-2 run midway through the second half carried the No. 17/18 Mississippi State women's basketball team to a victory in its Southeastern Conference opener Friday afternoon.
With four players in double figures and a much-improved defensive effort in the final half, MSU knocked off No. 19 Georgia 64-56 before a season-high and program seventh-most 4,114 in the Humphrey Coliseum.
“Give the credit to the Good Lord for blessing me with a tremendous group of young ladies playing their hearts out,” MSU head coach Vic Schaefer said. “I feel real blessed. The kids competed today. Our kids played their hearts out. We didn't have one player who went and got it done. We had four or five who played well and carried us.”
MSU improved its school-record start to 16-0 and won its conference opener for the first time since 2009.
“For the veterans, it is important that we lead now that we are into conference play,” MSU senior center Martha Alwal. “The crowd was great today. To have the support we have from the crowds and the community is very exciting. The crowd was really into it today and that means a lot to me.”
After a very spirited first half, MSU carried a 31-28 lead into the intermission. Down 32-31, MSU put together a 15-2 run with some quality inside play and strong defensive play. Georgia went more than four minutes with only one field goal during the run.
Kendra Grant and Jerica James each hit critical 3-point baskets during the run. MSU only hit three treys in the contest.
“Those shots were big for the momentum in the game,” said Grant, a senior guard. “We really needed to get some separation and we were able to do it there by putting some shots together.”
After hitting five 3-point baskets in the first half, State's nation's-best 3-point defense held Georgia (12-2, 0-1) to 0-for-10 in the second half. Georgia was held to 32.4 percent shooting in the game's final half. MSU forced 14 turnovers in the game, including six in the final half.
A layup by Alwal and two free throws by Grant capped the decisive run as MSU led 46-34 with 14:46 left in the contest. Georgia closed within eight at 47-39 before MSU reeled off the game's next five points.
Georgia closed within seven on three occasions over the next five minutes. MSU shot better than 50 percent for most of the contest but only hit 3 of its final 22 shots from the field.
Georgia closed within five on a jumper by Mackenzie Engram with 3:24 left in the contest, but MSU hit 8 of 10 free throws to close out its third straight home win over the Athens-based Bulldogs.
“Coach talked about the first five minutes of the second half and how important they were,” MSU sophomore forward Breanna Richardson. “We had played well but we knew we had to play better. We really want to stop the 3-point shot. Our defense was really good in the second half when we had to have some stops.”
For the contest, MSU hit 22 of 56 shots from the field (39.3 percent), 3 of 7 shots from 3-point range (42.9 percent) and 17 of 20 shots from the foul line (85.0 percent). Georgia hit 22 of 65 shots from the field (33.8 percent), 5 of 21 shots from 3-point range (23.8 percent) and 7 of 12 shots from the foul line (58.3 percent).
Georgia held a 43-37 rebounding advantage. MSU had 11 assists and 13 turnovers, while Georgia had 14 assists and 14 turnovers.
“Our bench was outstanding,” Schaefer said. “I was proud of the kids in a tough, physical basketball game. That is SEC basketball right there. To see the kids compete in front of a great crowd is outstanding. It was a great atmosphere for basketball here in Starkvegas.
“It is a great way to start, but we have 15 more of these.”
Morgan William, Grant and Richardson led MSU with 11 points apiece. Alwal added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Georgia received 13 points from Tiaria Griffin and 11 points and nine rebounds from Engram.
MSU returns to the road Sunday for a 2 p.m. start at Missouri. That contest will be available on SEC Network +. The next home game is at 8 p.m. Thursday when Arkansas comes to Humphrey Coliseum, with Fox Sports Net South handling the broadcast.
