Mississippi State
14-2,2-0SEC
Georgia
10-5,1-1SEC
Danberry Fuels State to 73-66 Win at Georgia
January 05, 2020 | Women's Basketball
by Josh Lively, Assistant Director/Communications
ATHENS, Ga. – An 11-point fourth quarter for Jordan Danberry fueled No. 15 Mississippi State to a 73-66 victory at Georgia on Sunday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum.
Holding a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter, State (14-2, 2-0 SEC) knocked down its first five shots of the period and went 8-of-11 from the charity stripe to prevent UGA (10-5, 1-1 SEC) from making a comeback.
"Not our best day but give Georgia a ton of credit," said head coach Vic Schaefer. "My young team, we grew up a little bit today, I hope. I don't know how many games I have ever won in my career where in the second half my opponent shot 54 percent in the third quarter and 60 in the fourth, 51 for the game and 75 from the line. The difference in the game is when we came out in the fourth quarter. We executed about three straight sets, got Jo loose twice and got an and-one for Rickea Jackson attacking the rim. That kind of stretched us out to nine. They got it to four. I am proud of Jordan for getting up there and making some pretty big free throws. Rickea made a free throw or two. It's a great win for us. A win on the road in this league is so difficult. If you get one on the road it is worth a win and a half. Proud of our perseverance today. We fought through some foul trouble. Maybe our young kids grew up a little bit."
Danberry finished with 17 points in the game to go along with five rebounds, three assists and a steal. Jackson posted her fifth straight game with double-digit scoring, recording 17 points, five boards, three assists and two blocks. Jackson had six points in the final frame and converted a big and-one late in the quarter.
Despite Georgia shooting 51 percent from the floor, Mississippi State was able to force UGA into 23 turnovers and convert that into 19 points. MSU held a slight 35-34 edge on the glass, but State only allowed three offensive rebounds compared to its 14. Mississippi State outscored Georgia on second chances, 11-0.
Jessika Carter tallied 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks, while Xaria Wiggins had 13 points behind a pair of threes off the bench.
Things were tight in the first quarter, with three lead changes and neither team trailing by more than two possessions. Carter had seven points in the period, while Jackson added five to help State take an early 17-13 lead.
Mississippi State shared the ball well in the second stanza, as seven different Bulldogs scored in the period. Wiggins came off the bench to drop five of her seven first-half points in the frame. After MSU extended its advantage to six at the halfway point for the quarter, Georgia responded with a 9-0 run to take the lead. However, State finished with an 8-1 run during the final two minutes of the half to head into intermission up 34-30.
MSU went cold on offense for most of the third period, hitting just one of its 10 shots during one stretch of the quarter. Georgia converted an and-one with 1.5 seconds left to cut State's lead to 48-47.
Mississippi State came out strong to begin the final frame, knocking down its first four shots of the period to extend its lead to 56-47 and force UGA to call a timeout with 7:57 remaining. Danberry had six points early to lead the charge. After Georgia cut it to a four-point game with two minutes left, State iced the game with seven free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
The win marked State's 13th-consecutive victory on the road, the nation's longest active streak.
The Bulldogs will look to extend that streak on Thursday, as MSU heads to Missouri for a 6 p.m. tip at Mizzou Arena. That game will be televised on SEC Network and will be carried on the MSU Radio Network.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's basketball on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWBK."
