Lady Bulldogs End Season With 78-61 Loss At Arkansas State
Official Game Statistics (PDF)
MSU's season ends in first round of the Sportsview.tv Women's NationalInvitation Tournament
JONESBORO, Ark. -- The Mississippi State University women's basketball team (17-12,6-8 SEC) concluded its 2005 season on Thursday night with a 78-61 loss to theArkansas State Lady Indians (20-10, 11-3 Sun Belt) in the opening round of theSportsview.tv Women's National Invitational Tournament. In her final game forthe Maroon and White, senior guard Tan White led MSU with 21 points. Her fivethree-point baskets marked the most three-pointers made by an MSU player in aWNIT game, and White's three blocked shots were the most tallied by an MSUplayer in a WNIT game.
"Arkansas State is strong, smart and has good balance," said MSU head coachSharon Fanning. "The first five minutes of the game are critical. We can'tshoot what we shot and win. In games like this, you have to play better thanaverage to win, and we didn't do that. In the first half, we cut it to four at31-27. In that time, we changed defenses. They moved the ball well. We didn'tbring down the boards. We got outworked. I'm disappointed in how we ended theseason."
Arkansas State scored first on an Ali Carter three-point basket. MSU's firstbasket came on a jumper by senior forward Rebecca Kates with 16:51 on theclock. Following a missed ASU shot, junior guard Blessing Chekwa brought downan offensive rebound and senior guard Tiania Burns put it back up and in togive State a slim 4-3 lead with 16:28 to play. After two free throws fromVanessa Schrock, the Lady Indians went up 8-4 before MSU cut the lead to justtwo. However, ASU answered back on an 8-0 run to extend the lead to 18-6 with11:12 remaining in the half. Despite the Lady Bulldogs' attempt to trim thelead, ASU held a 10-point 31-21 lead with 4:48 on the clock. A layup by juniorforward Mamie McKinney, a free throw by Kates and three-pointer from Burnsbrought MSU to within four with 2:55 to play in the half. ASU did not back off,this time extending their lead back out to double digits to a 43-29 advantageinto the locker room at the break.
The Lady Indians continued their dominance in the second half. Behind layupsfrom Zaneta Lane, ASU jumped out to their largest lead of the evening at 20with 17:25 left to play in the game. While State used shots from Kates andMcKinney to pull within 14, the Lady Indians were too much to handle midwaythrough the period. State got as close as 10 with 10:15 on the clock on athree-point basket from White. Burns hit another three at the 8:22 mark tobring State back to a 10-point deficit. However, ASU was too strong down thestretch and held their double-digit lead throughout the closing minutes of theperiod to take the 17-point, 78-61 win.
Burns added 11 points for the Lady Bulldogs, while McKinney tied a season-highwith nine rebounds and set a career-high with four steals. Junior forwardChalandra Hilliard scored a career-high six points in six minutes played.
Lane led Arkansas State with a career-high 22 points. Adrianne Davie netted 16points and 16 rebounds, while Carter added 15 points. The Lady Indians went29-for-38 from the charity stripe compared to States 6-for-11 showing at theline.
GAME NOTES
- White has scored in double digits in 40 consecutive games spanning fromthe end of the 2003-04 season.
- Arkansas State now leads the overall series 5-2 and is 3-0 at home.
- MSU is 33-18 versus the Sun Belt Conference.
- State is 3-5 in WNIT postseason play.
- MSU's 43 rebounds brought down against ASU mark the most pulled down by anMSU team in a WNIT game. The Maroon and White's four blocked shots were alsothe most tallied by an MSU team in a WNIT game. White's three blocked shotswere the most by an MSU player.
- State held a 22-17 margin in second chance points.
- State's 34 three-point shots attempted is the most ever attempted in asingle game by an MSU squad.