Adapt And Overcome
February 14, 2022 | Women's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Latest Bulldog victory puts State in a position to achieve its postseason goal.
STARKVILLE – It was another day. It was another seemingly insurmountable challenge.
No problem. Go ahead and chalk up another Mississippi State victory.
At this writing, it's been about 24 hours since a rivalry Sunday in Starkville. The Bulldogs – once again outnumbered and seemingly outmatched against an Ole Miss team that defeated them by 15 points only four weeks ago – once again somehow found a way.
The final? Mississippi State 70. Ole Miss 59.
The lesson? If anyone still is, it's time to stop being surprised by what these Bulldogs can do. They deal with challenges. They adapt. They overcome. It's just who they are, and it's put them in a position many couldn't have even fathomed only a couple of months ago.
"Very proud of this team," an excited Myah Taylor said moments after Sunday's win. "We've worked hard for this. A lot of people have counted us out, but we just keep fighting."
Just. Keep. Fighting. No matter what. The Bulldogs have done it all year long.
Here's a run down of the latest gutsy effort.
Ole Miss came to town to face an MSU squad that had only seven players available. Only one of those seven – center Charlotte Kohl – was over six feet tall.
The Bulldogs were few in number and short in stature against an opponent that'd already put a hurting on them back in January. That prior defeat didn't demoralize MSU though. It inspired them.
"I just think it fueled us," Taylor explained. "Our team right now, we try to take everything and turn it into positive things and use it as fuel. I think that's what we did."
The Bulldogs absolutely did. They dominated the Rebels. Mississippi State built and maintained a double-digit lead over the final few minutes of the first half and the entirety of the final two quarters.
Everyone played a part. Because, well…at this point everyone has to.
Anastasia Hayes continued what is one of the best offensive seasons in the country, pouring in a team-best 21 points. JerKaila Jordan scored 20. Taylor tallied 17 of her own. Caterrion Thompson and Aislynn Hayes had six each. Kohl led the Bulldogs with five rebounds. Each Bulldog contributed, because again, they really have no other choice. There is no Maroon and White cavalry waiting to rush in and take any of the load off.
"At the end of the day, we're all we have," Anastasia Hayes said. "We all have one common goal and that's to get to the [NCAA Tournament] and win games. Winning is fun and we all want to win. If you play hard and work hard, I feel like the outcome will be good for you."
You better believe those watching respect State's efforts. The fans inside Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday continued to reward the Bulldogs with standing ovations and continuous cheers. It was like the crowd was at a legendary concert, wanting encore after encore.
The MSU faithful realize what they've been witnessing is special. But those in the stands aren't the only ones enjoying this ride.
"It's so much fun," interim head coach Doug Novak said. "I don't know what our story is to be honest with you. We're all over the map. It's fascinating to watch. I think it's fascinating to be a part of. I'm right in the middle of this thing and I have no idea which direction we go."
Perhaps Novak misspoke. He might not know this journey's destination, but there's no doubt of his team's direction.
The Bulldogs are travelling straight towards an NCAA Tournament berth. Given all the year's unexpected twists and turns, no one could be blamed if they once believed the figurative Mississippi State car should've slid off the road and into a ditch by now. But nope. A ticket into the madness of March is very much within reach.
Headed into this past weekend, the Bulldogs were already projected to be in the NCAA field according to ESPN's Charlie Creme. He had State among his last four teams in. That was before the win over an Ole Miss team that entered Sunday inside the Top 30 of the NET rankings. The Bulldog victory over the Rebels almost assuredly means – if the season ended today – MSU would be in the tourney, perhaps even somewhat comfortably.
It's incredible, isn't it? This has been a season that had every opportunity to be littered with excuses for why the Bulldogs couldn't be here. Yet here they are.
At some point, this isn't even overachieving. Maybe this isn't just some Cinderella story where the clock eventually hits midnight and the MSU carriage turns back into a pumpkin.
Frankly, it seems like we're at that point. The NCAA Tournament is no longer merely a far-fetched hope or some carrot to dangle in order to maintain motivation. Instead, these Bulldogs are putting themselves on a direct route to the big dance.
There's plenty of work to do, sure. A gauntlet of a schedule remains.
But keep the slippers handy. You're going to need them if the Bulldogs can keep doing what they've been doing for only another couple of weeks.
