State Falls at Buzzer to Alabama, 66-64

Sunday, February 23

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Mississippi State

23-5,11-3SEC

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16-11,6-8SEC

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Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

State Falls at Buzzer to Alabama, 66-64

February 23, 2020 | Women's Basketball

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by Josh Lively, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – A tough second half for Mississippi State was capped off by a tip-in basket at the buzzer by Alabama to lift the Crimson Tide to a 66-64 victory at Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.

After Alabama fought back from trailing by 13 points in the fourth quarter, State (23-5, 11-3 SEC) had the ball down 64-63 with a chance to take the lead with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game. After grabbing an offensive rebound, Andra Espinoza-Hunter drew a foul and went to the free throw line with five seconds left. She missed the first free throw but knocked down the second to tie the game at 64-64.

The Crimson Tide called timeout to advance the ball. After a foul by MSU moved the in-bounds play to underneath the basket on the baseline, Alabama got an offensive rebound tip in at the buzzer by Megan Abrams to win the game.

"First, congratulations to Alabama," said head coach Vic Schaefer. "I just thought their kids out-toughed us, out-played us most of the day. It's not the first shot that beats you a lot of the times, it's the second one. That's what happened to us. Not having the focus to block out on that shot and letting that kid have a free run to go in there and tip it in, we got what we deserved. We really lack toughness, and we really lack someone that will step up when the going gets tough. If you compete to the end, good things happen. Those kids were down 13 with nine minutes to go. We had some really untimely turnovers and some shots that didn't go, and that's what happens. In the Southeastern Conference, that can happen any night."

The Bulldogs shot 46 percent from the field for the game but missed eight of their final 10 shots down the stretch. Alabama (16-11, 6-8 SEC) had the hot hand in the second half, knocking down 50 percent of its shots while going 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Jasmine Walker fueled the comeback by scoring all 20 of her points in the second half, including 10 points in the final frame.

Jessika Carter led the way for Mississippi State with her 10th double-double of the season, recording 18 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Rickea Jackson added 15 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Alabama got things started early, jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead, but State responded with 15-2 run to take the momentum and go up 19-11 at the end of the first quarter. Jackson had the hot hand, scoring eight points in the period on 4-of-5 shooting. MSU shot 64 percent as a team while holding the Crimson Tide to just 20 percent shooting from the floor.

The Bulldogs kept the pressure on in the second stanza, maintaining a double-digit lead for the majority of the period. Wiggins had nine points to pace the offense and help State enter halftime with a 37-27 advantage. Chloe Bibby had a solid half on both ends of the floor with six points and five rebounds.

The Crimson Tide fought back in the third quarter behind a 12-4 run to cut Mississippi State's lead to 47-45 with less than two minutes remaining in the period. After a timeout by Schaefer, MSU got baskets on back-to-back possessions and extended its lead to 51-45 going into the final frame.

State opened the period on a 7-0 run, but Alabama responded with an 11-0 run of its own to pull within two points at 58-56, forcing MSU to call another timeout. The Crimson Tide played lockdown defense that held State to 2-of-10 shooting to end the game. Alabama took its first lead since the opening quarter after Ashley Knight knocked down a put-back layup with 1:19 left in the period to make it a 64-63 game. State tied things up with a free throw with five seconds left, but Alabama got a shot to fall at the buzzer to win.

Up next, State hosts Arkansas at 8 p.m. Thursday night at Humphrey Coliseum for the final home contest of the regular season. 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."