Hayes Flirts With A Triple-Double in Win Over Colorado State

Sunday, November 20

Starkville

3:00 PM

Mississippi State

4-1,0-0SEC

Colorado State

3-1,0-0Mountain West

Colorado St.

Mississippi St.

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Hayes Flirts With A Triple-Double in Win Over Colorado State

November 20, 2022 | Women's Basketball

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By: Kelly Shipp, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State enters the Thanksgiving holiday with a big victory over previously unbeaten Colorado State on Sunday. The Bulldogs used a strong final minute of the second quarter to build a six-point lead that would prove to be the difference in their 71-66 win over the Rams.

Mississippi State had a tough contest playing Colorado State but put on a fight winning 71-66. State shot 61.5% (8-13) from the field in the first quarter. The Bulldogs didn't settle, scoring 20 points in the paint with 44 rebounds. State's defense held the nation's current leader in assists, McKenna Hofschild, to just eight assists and 13 points in the game, 10 points below her season average.

Anastasia Hayes was dominant in all forms for State in the contest. She led all players in scoring with 18 points and brought in 10 rebounds, finishing with a double-double. Hayes also led the team in assists with six.

Denae Carter was efficient for the Bulldogs, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor. She finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, five of them being on the offensive side of the ball. On the defensive side of the ball, she blocked two shots and gained a steal. Also scoring in double figures on Sunday was Jessika Carter, with 12-points and seven rebounds.

Turning Point Of The Game
After being held scoreless for over three minutes in the 2nd quarter, the Bulldogs finished on a 6-0 run to gain a 39-32 lead going into the half. State went on a 7-0 scoring run in the third quarter spanning 1:32 while forcing three turnovers and four missed shots. Highlighting the close of the second quarter was a deep three from Debreasha Powe as time expired.

𝘽𝘼𝙉𝙂 🏹🏹🏹@debreasha 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐔𝐙𝐙𝐄𝐑‼️#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/Eg7FLQCqQd
— Mississippi State Women's Basketball (@HailStateWBK) November 20, 2022

Game Notes:
• Annie went 4-5 from the field and 2-3 from the 3-point line in the first quarter knocking down 10 points
• State went on a 6-0 run to finish the 2nd quarter.
• Annie's double-double was her first of the season and seventh of her career.
• Held McKenna Hofschild to just 13 points and eight assists. She currently leads the country in assists and averages 23 points per game.
• Ahlana Smith and Debreasha Powe each scored eight points. This was Powe's first game in which she scored under double-digits.
• MSU and CSU were separated in the second-half scoring by just one point. Each team scored 19 third-quarter points, while CSU outscored MSU 14-13 in the final frame.

Quoting Coach Purcell
Opening Statement
"Wow. What a game. What a game. First, I want to thank Ryun Williams, the head coach for Colorado State, for agreeing to play this series, [and] be willing to leave Colorado and come down here. I don't look forward to next year when I have to return and go to his place. He's a great coach like I told y'all, I'm never going to lie to you - if I'm a little nervous or I'm worried, my eyes did not lie today. Their ability to space the ball, shoot the three, but most importantly, get down and just put pressure on you for forty minutes was unbelievable. But I told my team before the game - you know, our last one on Friday night, no offense to them, it was a different style of play - but I told our team before we went out tonight that we're going to find out that we've learned from that loss at South Dakota State, and guess what? I learned a lot about my team, and I couldn't be happier to get this win. But most importantly, thank you to the fan base. We were close to almost five thousand with tickets sold, and I'm challenging everybody to bring a friend. Cause you saw something passionate about my players, they left it out on the floor, they were diving, but most importantly, they were playing together as a team, and when the fans got going, man, what a special place this is and how loud it is. Grateful, again, thankful; we're going to enjoy this tonight, and then we're going to the islands."

Quoting Anastasia Hayes
On her strong play
Well, the last two days I've really gotten into my scout. I just read the defense, they were playing off of me, and I've seen them, that's how they play defense, and I was ready to shoot the ball when it was my time to shoot.

On what made Colorado State tough to defend
Well, they play a five-out, and they dribble-drive and kick. I feel like that's what makes them so difficult. They're a pretty good team, they're guards are really good, and they share the ball really well.

Up Next
The Bulldogs will hit the road and spend the Thanksgiving holiday in Puerto Rico. Mississippi State will play two games while in Puerto Rico. State will tip things off on Friday, Nov. 25 at 10 a.m. CT against Georgetown before taking on Nebraska on Nov. 26 at 12:30 p.m. CT.

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

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