Rolling With The Punches
January 06, 2022 | Women's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Bulldogs provide another example of their tremendous resiliency in win at Alabama.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – If you needed further proof, you now have it. There's something special deep within this year's Mississippi State women's basketball team and it was on full display once again on Thursday night in an astounding display of resiliency that resulted in a 65-62 road win at Alabama.
The situation? MSU had just eight players available to play. State didn't have the services of leading scorer Rickea Jackson. The Bulldogs were without members of the coaching staff.
And oh, by the way, the test on the floor happened to be a Crimson Tide team that entered the game in the top half of the Southeastern Conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
Somehow, someway, these Bulldogs persevered.
"I'm sure you all expected that to happen," State interim head coach Doug Novak said sarcastically as he opened his postgame comments. "[Myah Taylor] was tremendous. [Anastasia Hayes] was. I could go right down the line. When we needed a play and it looked like we were on our last leg, they just kept putting their hands on the ball and getting a steal or getting a key rebound. Just amazing."
Amazing indeed. With the odds stacked against them, the Bulldogs once again put forth a show of grit and toughness that – judging by this week – might be a trademark of Novak's group.
Just last Sunday, MSU went on the road for an impromptu game at then-No. 1 South Carolina. With only a day or two's notice, the Bulldogs brought the fight to what was the country's top-ranked program.
It was no fluke. On Thursday night, there the Dawgs were with backs to the wall, growling again. This time, they found a way to victory.
Taylor was a one-person picture of MSU's will to win. The Bulldogs entered the fourth quarter up only two points. Taylor was hobbled having hurt her ankle late in the third quarter.
"I thought we'd lost Myah for the game," Novak later admitted.
Taylor was down. She wasn't out. She taped up the ankle, returned and helped cement the MSU victory with three points, a block and four crucial steals over the final 10 minutes of play. Taylor finished with seven total steals, to go along with six assists and 14 points.
Two other Bulldogs scored in double figures. Hayes led the way with 22 and Jerkaila Jordan tallied 16.
Make no mistake though, no matter who led the team statistically, this triumph was a group effort. Four Bulldogs played more than 35 minutes. Six played 20 or more. All eight available players saw action. This was a collective refusal to let tough circumstances get in the way.
"There's a lot of things we can't control right now, but instead of asking, 'Why us?', we're asking, 'Why not us?'" Taylor said.
Jackson was a late scratch for State. For some teams, it'd be an unsustainable blow to lose such a huge, productive piece only hours before tip. The old woe-is-me attitude could've set in.
Instead, it seemingly invigorated these Dawgs to have another obstacle to overcome.
"How about our kids?" Novak said. "We game planned to have Rickea. We game planned to have an extra player. Nobody batted an eye [when she couldn't play]. They just came out and said, 'Let's go.'"
It's a group learning to roll with the punches. To be honest, it might be a group that already has a doctorate degree in rolling with said punches.
This team, from its interim head coach on down, has had to adapt on the fly since before this season ever began. There have been bumps along the way, but there have been plenty of high points as well. For Novak though, none where higher than Thursday's.
Novak was asked if this was his favorite moment since taking the reins of the women's basketball program.
"Yeah it is," Novak quickly responded. "It's hard to imagine a better feeling. That was special. To go on the road and play a very good Alabama team, regardless of the circumstances, this by far is my favorite moment up to this point."
The exciting thing is, given the drive of these Bulldogs, it might not be long until Novak tops it. It seems no matter the obstacle around the corner, Mississippi State is going to be ready.
"The season is going to go up and down," Taylor said. "There are a lot of things we can't control. But as long as we attack every day and play hard and stay together, we can conquer a lot of things."
