Mississippi State Basketball: #14 Lady Bulldogs struggle in blow out loss vs #7 Texas A&M
The Mississippi State Basketball Lady Bulldogs have struggled in their last two games. The Lady Bulldogs struggled to defeat the new look Ole Miss Lady Rebels 60-56. Mississippi State struggled to put away Ole Miss, and the Lady Rebels were able to hang around.
Alabama defeated Mississippi State for the second straight year at Humphrey Coliseum 86-78. The Crimson Tide dominated Mississippi State in the second half to secure the win. Coach McCray-Penson also changed up her starting lineup with Madison Hayes and Aliyah Matharu, replacing Rickea Jackson and JaMya Mingo-Young.
Coach McCray-Penson adjusted the line-up, starting again with Hayes, Thompson, Mingo-Young, Taylor, and Morris. Against the Lady Aggies, that would not matter as the Lady Bulldogs were outhustled, outrebounded, and definitely outplayed in a 69-41 loss, ending a seven-game winning streak. The Lady Aggies avenged an upset loss to LSU in their last game with the win.
This game started terribly for the Lady Bulldogs. Mississippi State started 1-13 from the field and 1-6 from three-point-range. Spotting the Lady Aggies a 14-3 lead is not a path to victory. Texas A&M. Aliyah Matharu scored the only points for Mississippi State with a three at the 5:50 mark.
The Lady Bulldogs would show some signs of life in the second quarter outscoring Texas A&M 16-14 to cut the Aggie lead to 26-19. Myah Taylor scored 11 points, shooting 50% from the field, including 3-6 from three-point-range. Other Lady Bulldogs contributing points in the first half were Wiggins (3), Carter (2), and Matharu (3).
With Jessika Carter sitting out early due to foul trouble, the Aggies would start the third quarter on a 14-6 run. Texas A&M took advantage of seven turnovers and stretched their lead to 50-31 to end the quarter. The Aggies outscored Mississippi State 24-12.
The onslaught would continue into the fourth quarter as Texas A&M continued to force the Lady Bulldogs into turnovers and low percentage shots. The Lady Bulldogs continued to struggle offensively and could not stop the Aggies at any point. Kayla Wells (19), Aliyah Wilson (15), and Ciera Johnson (14) all scored in double figures in the rout.
Myah Taylor (14) and Rickea Jackson (11) led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring. Mississippi State was dominated in points in the paint (34-19), an area they usually dominate. The Loss drops the Lady Bulldogs record to (8-4) and (3-3) in SEC Play. The Lady Bulldogs have another tough matchup in eleven days as the #5 South Carolina Gamecocks come to Starkville.