Bulldogs Won’t Back Down
November 12, 2021 | Women's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Mississippi State displays resiliency in win over South Dakota State.
STARKVILLE – Not even two minutes had passed in Mississippi State's game against South Dakota State on Friday night and the Bulldogs found themselves in an early 7-0 hole. It was an early indicator this evening was going to be a fight.
All game long it seemed, MSU found itself battling from behind. It'd have almost been understandable if the Bulldogs couldn't dig deep enough to overcome their deficits.
The last few weeks have been full of adjustment as interim head coach Doug Novak has taken over and the players themselves have had to adapt to a new leader and new ways. It'd have been easy to make excuses and come back to battle another day.
Nope. Not these Bulldogs. In game two, Novak's squad let it be known. Throw what you want at them. They're not backing down.
"I think it was really good because it was the first time we had been down and had to take a punch," Novak said. "I didn't know [how we'd react]. You never know until you get hit in the mouth how you're going to respond."
The Bulldog answer? They picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, shook off their figurative busted lip and came back throwing punches of their own.
Punches like JerKaila Jordan's double-double. She scored 17 and brought down 11 rebounds.
"She's got to be one of your first picks if you're playing at the park," Novak said of Jordan. "She's going to find a way to add value, whether it's an offensive rebound or knocking down a three or leading a fastbreak or running to the corners to stretch the floor so the guards can get layups. Those little things she does that maybe not everyone sees. I guess you see it on the stat sheet because she fills it up. She's so versatile and can do so many things that make others better and she's a pretty darn good player herself."
Oh yes, there was more from Mississippi State. Rickea Jackson scored 23 points. She's now tallied a whopping 49 total over the first two games.
Anastasia Hayes scored 14. Her sister, Aislynn Hayes, tallied nine.
It all came together to help the Bulldogs erase a 39-31 halftime deficit. MSU actually trailed by as many as nine early in the third quarter.
What was Novak's plan as State went back out to attempt a comeback in the final two periods?
"No major adjustments to be honest with you," Novak said. "I just didn't feel like South Dakota State had seen our best."
The Jackrabbits got a better glimpse of MSU's potential in the final 20 minutes. The Bulldogs shot 50 percent as a team over the third and fourth quarters. They limited South Dakota State to just 37.5 percent from the field in that stretch.
After being down by eight at the intermission, State outscored the Jackrabbits 45-32 in the second half.
The final result? Mississippi State is 2-0. The Bulldogs have passed two early tests. But perhaps the best news of all is that, in a long season that'll surely be full of highs and lows, Mississippi State now knows it has what it takes to get knocked down and get right back up.
"They did not back down one inch," Novak said.
