State Rolls on Offense in 122-82 Win vs. Troy

Monday, November 18

Starkville

7:00 PM

Mississippi State

4-0,0-0SEC

122

Troy

3-1,0-0Sun Belt

Troy

Mississippi St.

122

State Rolls on Offense in 122-82 Win vs. Troy

November 18, 2019 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)VIDEO: Myah Taylor Interview

by Josh Lively, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – No. 10 Mississippi State posted another strong offensive showing in its 122-82 victory against Troy on Monday night at Humphrey Coliseum, capping the four-game home stand to begin the season.

Jordan Danberry led the way in scoring with 24 points, six rebounds and four assists. Myah Taylor posted a stellar performance, recording career highs with 20 points, seven assists and five steals. The redshirt sophomore guard also had five charges and grabbed three rebounds to give the Bulldogs energy all night on both ends of the floor.

"[We] certainly were fortunate to have Myah Taylor on our team tonight," head coach Vic Schaefer said. "I thought her energy and effort tonight really stood out."

Jessika Carter continued her strong play as she finished with the second double-double of her career with 19 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. The sophomore forward was 8-of-9 from the field and helped State hold a 76-38 scoring advantage in the paint.

After having never eclipsed the 120-point margin ever in program history, State (4-0) surpassed the mark for the second game in a row. The high-scoring performances are in large part due to the consistent level of play across the board, as Mississippi State's bench dropped 50 points in the game. Andra Espinoza-Hunter and Aliyah Matharu scored in double figures off the bench, tallying 13 points and 10 points, respectively. On defense, MSU forced 22 turnovers and turned that into 37 points while posting 14 steals and six blocks.

The Bulldogs handed Troy (3-1) its first loss of the season. The Trojans were led by a trio of double-figure scorers. Jasmine LeBlanc paced the team with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Alexus Dye had 16 boards and 12 points.

At halftime, fans participated in the annual Teddy Bear Toss, throwing stuffed teddy bears onto the court to benefit Le Bonheur Children's Hospital as the holiday season draws near.

"I'm really excited that we had over 1,000 teddy bears tonight," said Schaefer. "That will be donated to people in this area for Christmas, which I am so proud of. I want to thank our fans for that. It's always a special thing that we can do, and it teaches our youth and kids to give back to the community. I'm really proud of that and appreciate our 6,800 fans that were here tonight."

Carter started where she left off from last game, recording 10 points and five boards in the first quarter to get Mississippi State started on both ends of the floor. Seven players scored in the period to help the Bulldogs go up 28-15 early on.

State's offense was firing on all cylinders in the second stanza, shooting 63 percent from the field. The Bulldogs used a 13-0 run behind three steals to jump out to a 22-point lead halfway through the quarter.

State attacked the paint early and often, using a 42-18 advantage down low to take 66-38 lead into halftime. It was the second-highest scoring effort in a half ever by an MSU squad, with the record standing at 69 in the second half of last season's win against Lamar.

Although Troy's offense started clicking in the third quarter, State knocked down eight of its final 11 shots in the period to take a 91-66 lead. The Bulldogs dropped 31 points in the final stanza to seal the 40-point victory.

For the game, Mississippi State shot 55 percent from the field while holding Troy to a 35-percent clip.

With Monday's third wire-to-wire win in a row, MSU has now led for the last 145:57 of action. The last time State trailed in a game was with 5:56 left in the second quarter of its game against Southern Miss in the season opener.

Up next, the Bulldogs are on the road for the first time this season, as they head to the capital to take on Jackson State on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on the MSU Radio Network. Mississippi State currently has the nation's fourth-longest road winning streak at nine games.

For fans in the Jackson area, a "Meet and Greet" will be head on Wednesday, November 20 at the Hilton Jackson, located at 1001 East County Line Road, Jackson, MS 3921. The reception will be from 6-7, featuring head coach Vic Schaefer and autographs from the Bulldogs.

For more information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's basketball on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWBK."