Mississippi State Basketball: 3 Takeaways from the loss to South Carolina

Mississippi State Basketball: 3 Takeaways from the loss to South Carolina

It was gut-check time, and the #21Mississippi State Basketball  Lady Bulldogs were the ones who took the punch to the gut last night against #4South Carolina. The Lady Bulldogs came out with plenty of energy as they built an early lead and won the first quarter 11-10. It would be knock out blows the rest of the way as South Carolina ran away with a 75-52 victory in front of approximately 1000 fans in Humphrey Coliseum.

The loss also dropped Mississippi State Basketball Lady Bulldogs to below .500 in the SEC standings for the first time since the 2013-14 season. Mississippi State has been ranked in the top 25 for 126 straight weeks going back to 2014. When the rankings come out on Monday, that streak will be over. The season does not get any easier as Mississippi State hosts #20Tennessee on February 4 and travels to #19 Arkansas, fresh off an upset of UCONN, on the eleventh.

The fact of the matter is Mississippi State Basketball Lady Bulldogs are struggling, and it looks like this season is not going as anyone had hoped. Here are three takeaways from last night’s game and what needs to happen to right the ship for the remainder of the season.

Mississippi State missed a chance to drop a 3rd Loss on a Top 5 Team on the night.

Mississippi State could have been the third team to take out a Top 5 opponent on the night. #3UCONN and #2 NC State both lost conference matchups. If Mississippi State could have pulled the upset last night, it would have turned their season around. Instead of being in the spotlight as that third team, Mississippi State lost its third straight conference game.

The Lady Bulldogs are currently eighth in the SEC, and it looks like the rest of the SEC has gotten better while Mississippi State has remained stagnant, or you can even say the program has regressed a bit in the first year under Nikki McCray-Penson.When all is said and done,  When all is said and done, When all is said and done, I have no doubt that Coach Mc-Cray Penson will right the ship and start a new streak as a ranked team in the Top 25.

South Carolina is just better.

In my preview, I mentioned that on paper Mississippi State has comparable talent to South Carolina. Unfortunately for us, basketball games are not played on paper. I did not expect Mississippi State to struggle the way the team has. When you return two players who made the ALL-SEC preseason team, expectations are high.

South Carolina proved last night that even when one of their best players has an off-game, the next player must step up. Aliyah Boston only scored six points but made her presence felt with 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. Zia Cook lead the way with 19 points. Vicatria Saxton had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and LeLe Grissett scored 11 points off the bench.

South Carolina also dominated Mississippi State on the boards 51-38. The Lady Gamecocks also scored 44 points in the paint compared to 28 for Mississippi State. Leading in those two statistics has been the winning recipe for the Lady Bulldogs.

The Lady Bulldogs execution woes continue.

Coach McCray-Penson has not been afraid to tinker with her lineup. Rickea Jackson has come off the bench in two of the last three games. For a talent like Jackson to not be in the starting lineup for a big game like this, you have to wonder what the issue is. When Jackson entered the game, she went 1-7 in the first half.

When your star player is struggling, it will be hard to beat anyone. Jackson did finish with 15 points, but the game was already decided. Jessika Carter finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but she was a non-factor in the game, especially with Boston having to sit in foul trouble.

With Boston out, Carter should have been able to take over the game, but the Lady Gamecocks would not allow that. Myah Taylor was the offensive spark early in the game, and she finished with 10 points, including 2 three-pointers.

She also dished out 5 assists but committed 5 costly turnovers. The rest of the team also struggled offensively as Sidney Cooks and JaMya Mingo-Young scored 5 points,  Aliyah Matharu scored 4 points, and Madison Hayes scored 1 point. True freshman guard KN’isha Godfrey also made her debut after enrolling early and played 4 minutes.

The Lady Bulldogs continue to struggle at the free-throw line, only making 33% of their shots. If Mississippi State wants to turn their season around and get back into the SEC elite, it starts against the Lady Volunteers, their coach’s alma mater.

Nikki McCray-Penson knows more basketball in her pinky finger than I ever will, but something needs to change. The offense, the defense, another lineup change, something has to give to turn this season around.