Sunday, January 29
Starkville
3:00 PM
Mississippi State
21-1 (7-1SEC)
71
vs
61
#23 Texas A&M
15-6 (5-3SEC)
1
2
3
4
F
Texas A&M
20
9
14
18
61
Mississippi State
15
26
14
16
71
Dogs Thwart Aggies' Late Comeback Hopes For 21st Win
January 29, 2017 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – No. 4/5 Mississippi State found its way back into the win column Sunday afternoon.
Behind a strong defensive effort and a second-quarter rally, MSU knocked off Texas A&M 71-61 in a Southeastern Conference women's basketball contest played before a crowd of 7,780 at Humphrey Coliseum.
MSU maintains sole possession of second place in the conference standings at the midway point of the schedule. The Bulldogs are 21-1 overall and 7-1 in league play, while the Aggies are 15-6 and 5-3. MSU was playing for the first time since a 64-61 loss to conference leader South Carolina last Monday.
Victoria Vivians led the Bulldogs with 18 points, while both Morgan William and Teaira McCowan each added 10 points. Chinwe Okorie had a team-high nine rebounds. William had nine assists, while Dominique Dillingham had six assists.
"Heck of a basketball game between two really good teams," MSU head coach Vic Schaefer said. "Proud of the press. Proud of our kids trying to wear them down because of their depth. We answered in the fourth quarter when the game was tight. (Roshunda Johnson) came in and gave us some great energy.
"The second quarter was big. I am proud at how well we played defensively that quarter. We were on pace to give up 80 after the first quarter. Proud of the inside game. Teaira and Chinwe were both really good."
Texas A&M hit 7 of 11 shots from the field in the first quarter and led 20-15 at the end of the quarter. The Bulldogs then battled back and took charge in the second quarter by outscoring the Aggies 26-9.
A 3-pointer by Vivians gave the Bulldogs a 24-22 lead. The Aggies were held to one field goal over the first five minutes of the quarter.
The Bulldogs would later piece together a 9-0 run for a 38-27 lead. Another 3-pointer by Vivians started the run. McCowan and Okorie also played well underneath and added back-to-back baskets.
MSU shot 44.1 percent from the field in the first half and led 41-29 at halftime.
The Bulldogs stretched the lead to 17 at 50-33 on two free throws by Okorie. From there, the Aggies began to rally. Texas A&M scored the final three points of the third quarter and first seven points of the fourth quarter to pull within 55-50.
MSU halted the run with back-to-back baskets by Okorie and Johnson. The Bulldogs hit 7 of 8 free throws to close out the win.
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 24 of 55 shots from the field (43.6 percent), 7 of 15 shots from 3-point range (46.7 percent) and 16 of 19 shots from the foul line (84.2 percent). The Aggies hit 22 of 50 shots from the field (44.0 percent), 6 of 13 shots from 3-point range (46.2 percent) and 11 of 13 shots from the foul line (84.6 percent).
MSU held a 32-26 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 18 assists and 11 turnovers, while the Aggies had 11 assists and 14 turnovers.
Texas A&M received 20 points from Curtyce Knox, 15 points from Danni Williams and 10 points from Khaalia Hillsman. Anriel Howard had a team-high 10 rebounds.
MSU returns to action Thursday at Auburn. The Bulldogs and Tigers tip at 8 p.m. from the Auburn Arena on the SEC Network.
Behind a strong defensive effort and a second-quarter rally, MSU knocked off Texas A&M 71-61 in a Southeastern Conference women's basketball contest played before a crowd of 7,780 at Humphrey Coliseum.
MSU maintains sole possession of second place in the conference standings at the midway point of the schedule. The Bulldogs are 21-1 overall and 7-1 in league play, while the Aggies are 15-6 and 5-3. MSU was playing for the first time since a 64-61 loss to conference leader South Carolina last Monday.
Victoria Vivians led the Bulldogs with 18 points, while both Morgan William and Teaira McCowan each added 10 points. Chinwe Okorie had a team-high nine rebounds. William had nine assists, while Dominique Dillingham had six assists.
"Heck of a basketball game between two really good teams," MSU head coach Vic Schaefer said. "Proud of the press. Proud of our kids trying to wear them down because of their depth. We answered in the fourth quarter when the game was tight. (Roshunda Johnson) came in and gave us some great energy.
"The second quarter was big. I am proud at how well we played defensively that quarter. We were on pace to give up 80 after the first quarter. Proud of the inside game. Teaira and Chinwe were both really good."
Texas A&M hit 7 of 11 shots from the field in the first quarter and led 20-15 at the end of the quarter. The Bulldogs then battled back and took charge in the second quarter by outscoring the Aggies 26-9.
A 3-pointer by Vivians gave the Bulldogs a 24-22 lead. The Aggies were held to one field goal over the first five minutes of the quarter.
The Bulldogs would later piece together a 9-0 run for a 38-27 lead. Another 3-pointer by Vivians started the run. McCowan and Okorie also played well underneath and added back-to-back baskets.
MSU shot 44.1 percent from the field in the first half and led 41-29 at halftime.
The Bulldogs stretched the lead to 17 at 50-33 on two free throws by Okorie. From there, the Aggies began to rally. Texas A&M scored the final three points of the third quarter and first seven points of the fourth quarter to pull within 55-50.
MSU halted the run with back-to-back baskets by Okorie and Johnson. The Bulldogs hit 7 of 8 free throws to close out the win.
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 24 of 55 shots from the field (43.6 percent), 7 of 15 shots from 3-point range (46.7 percent) and 16 of 19 shots from the foul line (84.2 percent). The Aggies hit 22 of 50 shots from the field (44.0 percent), 6 of 13 shots from 3-point range (46.2 percent) and 11 of 13 shots from the foul line (84.6 percent).
MSU held a 32-26 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 18 assists and 11 turnovers, while the Aggies had 11 assists and 14 turnovers.
Texas A&M received 20 points from Curtyce Knox, 15 points from Danni Williams and 10 points from Khaalia Hillsman. Anriel Howard had a team-high 10 rebounds.
MSU returns to action Thursday at Auburn. The Bulldogs and Tigers tip at 8 p.m. from the Auburn Arena on the SEC Network.
Team Stats
TAMU
MS
FG%
.440
.436
3FG%
.462
.467
FT%
.846
.842
RB
26
32
TO
14
11
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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