Mississippi State
23-4,11-2SEC
Auburn
9-15,3-10SEC
Jackson's Career Night Fuels State to 92-85 Win in OT at Auburn
February 20, 2020 | Women's Basketball
by Josh Lively, Assistant Director/Communications
AUBURN, Ala. – Rickea Jackson could not be stopped Thursday night at Auburn Arena. The freshman forward went off for a career-high 34 points on 14-of-22 shooting to rally No. 9 Mississippi State from down 14 in the third quarter to an overtime victory against Auburn, 92-85.
Jackson's 34 points were tied for the second-most ever by an MSU freshman, matching LaToya Thomas's performance against Louisiana on Dec. 2, 1999, and marked the most since Victoria Vivians had 39 versus Kentucky on Feb. 12, 2015. Jackson also added seven rebounds and three assists in the game.
With 11 points at halftime, Jackson dominated the second half of the game to rally the Bulldogs (23-4, 11-2 SEC) from an 11-point deficit at the break. After a late push in the third quarter by MSU and the game coming down to the wire, the Detroit, Mich., native had 15 points in the fourth stanza and overtime to lift State to the victory.
While Jackson's offensive efforts were huge, nothing was bigger in the game than a defensive stand in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Auburn tied things up at 79-79 with 45 seconds remaining and then forced State into a turnover on the other end of the floor that would have given AU the final shot to try and win. After the ball got knocked out of bounds by MSU, the Bulldogs got a huge stop with 22.9 left on the clock after forcing a 10-second violation. The Bulldogs got an open three from the wing by Andra Espinoza-Hunter, but the shot didn't fall and sent the game to overtime. From there, it was all Mississippi State the rest of the way.
"I am just really proud of my kids," said head coach Vic Schaefer. "A heck of a game. Auburn just played so hard. They came out and really punched us. We struggled for three quarters. I told the team in pre-game that we were going to find out something about our team tonight. We are really struggling defensively right now. I don't think there is any question about that. We turned the ball over 21 times after 17 at Kentucky on Sunday. That continues to be an issue for us, but what a gutsy performance. I can't say enough about my young kids. They fought through adversity after adversity. We ended the game with two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior that is playing in her sophomore year on the floor. I thought Rickea made some huge baskets for us. Every time we needed one, it just seemed like she came up with a big shot. I couldn't be prouder of my kids. Jessika Carter and Rickea made big plays when we absolutely needed them."
Carter had another strong performance for State, notching her ninth double-double of the season with 17 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks. JaMya Mingo-Young rounded out the double-figure scorers for MSU with 10 points, five rebounds and two steals. Four of her points came in overtime, including a basket that put State up by four early on.
Mississippi State won the battle in the paint, outscoring Auburn 56-22 and outrebounding the Tigers 38-26. Both teams were active on defense, with both squads forcing more than 20 turnovers. The Bulldogs forced 22 behind 10 steals and five blocks to convert that into 23 points. Offensively, MSU had one of its best shooting nights of the season, knocking down 55 percent of its shots for the game.
Auburn (9-15, 3-10 SEC) found success at the charity stripe all night long, going an impressive 28-of-31 (90 percent) from the line. Unique Thompson led the way for the Tigers with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Both teams had the hot hand to start, as each squad shot better than 55 percent from the field in the first quarter. Auburn held the early momentum, knocking down 67 percent of its shots to take a 23-19 lead. The Tigers' offense was fueled by a strong start from Thompson, who scored 12 consecutive points during one stretch.
After going down by eight to begin the second stanza, the Bulldogs were able to fight back and make it a one-possession game, but Auburn responded with a strong finish to the period. The Tigers ended things on an 11-3 run behind a trio of 3-pointers to enter halftime with a 46-35 advantage.
Jackson led the way for State in the half, scoring 11 points and grabbing four rebounds, while Carter chipped in 10 points and six boards.
State continued to find success scoring the ball in the third period, shooting 10-of-13 from the field, but Auburn knocked down four 3-pointers to keep the momentum in its favor for the majority of the period. The Bulldogs finished the quarter with a bang, though, going on a 6-0 run in the final 30 seconds after forcing two turnovers to cut AU's lead to 62-57.
Mississippi State opened the final frame with a 14-5 run to swing the game in its favor. After a block on the defensive end, Xaria Wiggins knocked down a huge three, her second of the period, to give MSU its first lead since the 6:01 mark in the first quarter. The Tigers would hang around by getting to the foul line. Daisa Alexander fueled AU's offense with 12 points, 10 of which came at the charity stripe, to force overtime.
The Bulldogs pulled away in overtime, knocking down a couple of early buckets to keep the game in their favor. Jackson had nine of State's 13 points in the frame to seal the victory.
Up next, State returns home for a two-game stretch, beginning with a matchup against Alabama at 1 p.m. Sunday at Humphrey Coliseum. The game will be televised on SEC Network and can be streamed 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."
