Bulldogs Start Pulling Teeth
November 09, 2021 | Women's Basketball, Joel Coleman
For long stretches, MSU gives interim head coach Doug Novak much of what he wants in season opener.
STARKVILLE – On Monday, just a little more than 24 hours before Mississippi State's season was set to start, interim head coach Doug Novak told reporters what he hoped the identity of this year's Bulldogs would be.
"[When opponents play] Mississippi State, it's going to be like going to the dentist," Novak said. "It's just no fun."
Consider the first tooth pulled.
Novak and the Bulldogs tipped off the 2021-22 campaign on Tuesday and began things with a dominating 91-62 victory over Alabama State. It was a successful night for a couple of reasons.
One, any win makes for a good evening. Two, it was a shining example for what Novak wants his team to be game after game. For Mississippi State to get where it wants to go this year, this seemed to be the roadmap.
Novak didn't take long to affirm he liked what he saw on Tuesday.
"Absolutely," Novak said emphatically postgame when asked if he got glimpses of his squad's potential.
Aggressive offense? Check.
The Bulldogs came out of the gate swinging, then kept applying pressure all night long. State scored 30 points in the first quarter and never let up.
The points came from all levels. The balanced Bulldog attack picked up 48 points from the paint, 24 points from three-point range and 19 from the foul line.
Contributions came from up and down the MSU roster. Seven different State players scored at least five points with Rickea Jackson totaling a team-best 26, while Anastasia Hayes tallied 17 and JerKaila Jordan racked up 15. Myah Taylor set a new career high with 11 assists. The bench added 20 points.
Relentless defense? Check, particularly from the second quarter on.
MSU limited ASU to just 25 percent shooting over the last three periods and outrebounded the Hornets 43-38 over the final 30 minutes.
It wasn't a perfect night. Alabama State shot nearly 53 percent in the first quarter. Yet MSU was able to check off another box too, displaying the resiliency that'll surely be needed time and time again over the course of a long season.
"[Alabama State was] knocking down some shots and maybe we didn't have enough defensive pressure or blocking out or leaking out," Novak said. "Then we shored that up and we showed some toughness and we did that for a fairly long time."
Time. That's the next step for Novak's bunch. The Bulldogs must play like they did for much of Tuesday's game for long stretches of time.
If State can sustain itself at its best, that could ultimately determine just how high this year's Bulldogs soar.
"I really like [New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick] and he's got a thing where he says, 'Do your job,'" Novak said. "I add to it a little bit [and say], 'Do your job as long as you can.' We've never arrived. We don't have it. The three most dangerous words are, 'I got it.' No we don't. We must do it over and over again. So each day, we're trying to do it longer. There are stretches that we had [on Tuesday] where we were hard to guard. We were pests on defense. But how long can we do it? How long can we sustain it?"
Against Alabama State, MSU maintained things plenty long enough. State looked like a well-prepared unit.
It was an impressive start. One that showed on any given night, Novak might just get his wish and his Bulldogs can perform a figurative root canal or two.
