Mississippi State
25-5,13-3SEC
Ole Miss
7-22,0-16SEC
State Cruises Past Ole Miss in Regular-Season Finale, 84-59
March 01, 2020 | Women's Basketball
by Josh Lively, Assistant Director/Communications
OXFORD, Miss. – Freshman Aliyah Matharu scored a career-high 24 points off the bench to pace Mississippi State in an 84-59 victory at Ole Miss on Sunday at The Pavilion.
Matharu was 8-of-12 from the field and knocked down a career-best five 3-pointers to go along with four rebounds, two steals and an assist in just 19 minutes of action. The freshman guard sparked MSU's offense late in the second quarter, scoring eight points in the final 1:12 to play. She also ended the third period on a 5-0 run to help put the game away.
Danberry posted an all-around performance, finishing with 18 points, seven boards, five assists, two blocks and a steal. Chloe Bibby added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbed four rebounds to round out the double-digit scorers.
"I'm just really proud of my team to see how they have progressed throughout the season," said head coach Vic Schaefer. "Give Ole Miss a lot of credit, I thought they played really well and really hard. Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is doing a good job with them. They are much improved from the last time we played them. You can see that in film as we watched film on them. Those kids really deserve a lot of credit. They played hard. I know they'll go to Greenville and give somebody a hard time. They are playing really hard and playing well together. I am proud of my team. We are 25-5. Our young kids are kind the ones who sparked us today."
The 10th-ranked Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 25-5 record while going 13-3 in SEC play to clinch the No. 2 spot in the league and earn a double bye for the SEC Tournament next week. This marks the sixth season in a row that MSU has finished inside the top three of the conference.
After the Rebels (7-22, 0-16 SEC) kept things close for the majority of the first half, State used a 24-0 run between the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third to put the game away. Boasting one of the most efficient offenses in the country, the Bulldogs shot above 50 percent from the floor in all four frames of the game and shot a season-best .607 clip from the field.
Myah Taylor was a key piece to the offense's success on the day, dropping a career-high 10 assists while only having one turnover in 30 minutes of action. For the game, Mississippi State assisted on 23 of its 34 baskets.
State dominated the paint all game, outscoring Ole Miss 44-20 down low and outrebounding them 30-24. On the defensive end of the floor, MSU finished with 11 steals and six blocks while forcing 19 turnovers that led to 23 points.
The Bulldogs were sharing the ball early and often on offense, assisting on nine of the team's 10 baskets in the first quarter. Four different players had at least five points in the period to help State hold a 22-17 lead at the end of the frame. Bibby and Danberry led the way with six points each.
The Rebels had the hot hand in the second stanza, knocking down seven of their 10 shots during one stretch and outscoring MSU 15-8 to open the period. However, Mississippi State caught fire on both ends of the floor and rattled off a 14-0 run in the final 2:36 to play to swing the momentum in its favor.
Matharu dropped eight points down the stretch to fuel the offense, including a big 3-pointer with less than five seconds left to make give State a 44-32 advantage at halftime. She led all scorers with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the half. Danberry chipped in 10 points as MSU entered the break shooting 59 percent from the floor.
The Bulldogs opened the third period on a 10-0 run to extend their lead to 22 points and never looked back. State shot 67 percent from the floor while holding Ole Miss to 37 percent shooting. Danberry added six more points in the quarter, and Matharu scored the last five points to give MSU a 63-48 lead going into the final frame.
Mississippi State put the game away in the fourth quarter by opening things with an 11-0 run. The swing was capped by back-to-back threes from Matharu that sparked the offense.
Up next, State will head to the SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C. The Bulldogs clinched the No. 2 seed in the tournament and will have the double bye to the quarterfinals on Friday. All games will be broadcasted on the ESPN Family of Networks The contest can also 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."
