Bulldogs Earn Wire-to-Wire Win vs. USF, 86-61

Thursday, December 19

Las Vegas, Nev. (Cox Pavilion)

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

10-2,0-0SEC

South Florida

7-5,0-0AAC

South Fla.

Mississippi St.

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Bulldogs Earn Wire-to-Wire Win vs. USF, 86-61

December 19, 2019 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Boc Score (PDF)

by Josh Lively, Assistant Director/Communications

LAS VEGAS – A 35-11 run to end the game pushed No. 15 Mississippi State to a wire-to-wire 86-61 victory against USF in the first game of the Duel in the Desert tournament at Cox Pavilion.

The Bulldogs (10-2) will take on the winner of UNLV vs. Virginia in the championship game of the event at 4:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. The game will be broadcasted on FloHoops and will be streamed for free by the MSU Radio Network.

The Bulls (7-5) cut the game to one point in the third quarter, but State stepped up its play on both ends of the floor to erase USF's rally and hopes of a comeback. In the fourth quarter, MSU shot 58 percent from the field compared to just 25 percent shooting for South Florida.

While USF held a 43-39 advantage on the glass, Mississippi State dominated down low with a 38-18 scoring edge in the paint and an 18-8 advantage on second-chance points. Defensively, the Bulldogs were able to force the Bulls into 24 turnovers behind 15 steals and turn that into 27 points.

"I'm proud of our kids," said head coach Vic Schaefer. "Give South Florida credit. They fought back and got it to one in the third quarter. I thought we were really lethargic in the third quarter. We just didn't come out with the same zeal as we had played with in the first half. Chloe Bibby carried us early offensively then she cooled off. Xaria Wiggins came off the bench and did a nice job. We found a rhythm defensively then got in transition and played very well up and down. The press I think kicked in late in the third. In the fourth, I thought they got tired, and that is where I thought we were really good."

State was fueled by Bibby, who finished with a season-high 21 points behind five 3-pointers to go along with nine rebounds and two steals. Rickea Jackson recorded the first double-double of her career with 17 points and a career-high 10 boards.

Jessika Carter chipped in 15 points and six rebounds, while Jordan Danberry tallied 12 points, five assists, four steals and two blocks to round out the double-digit scorers.

Bibby was on fire in the first quarter, dropping 17 points behind five 3-pointers, which tied her career high. State held USF to just four points during the first six minutes of the game to take an early 29-15 lead.

The Bulls opened the second stanza with a 7-0 run to cut the game to single digits, but MSU shot 45 percent from the field in the half to enter halftime up 47-37. The Bulldogs forced nine turnovers in the half with eight steals and turned that into 13 points.

South Florida began the third frame with another 7-0 run and cut MSU's lead to one point at 51-50. However, the defense came up big, holding the Bulls scoreless for more than four minutes. During the stretch, State used a 13-0 run to extend its lead to 66-53.

The Bulldogs closed the game strong by shooting 58 percent from the floor in the final frame while outscoring the Bulls 20-8 to cruise to the 25-point victory.

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