3 observations from Mississippi State basketball’s blowout win vs. Kennesaw State
By Ethan Lee
Mississippi State women’s basketball’s smothering team defense set the ton for this Bulldogs’ win
It’d be real easy to pay attention to what the Bulldogs accomplished with their offense. 91 points is a lot of points and that’s always fun to see. But against the Owls, Mississippi State also got a really strong showing from its defense.
Monday evening, Mississippi State’s smothering team defense demonstrated from the opening tip that it could be smothering. And that’s exactly what happened. Kennesaw State managed to make just 4 of 14 shots in the first quarter. That’s a 28.57 shooting percentage in the first quarter.
That’s bad!
Well, it was good for the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State, in the entire game, held the Owls to a dreadful 20 made field goals on 64 attempts. If you don’t want to break out your calculator, Kennesaw State’s offense was good for just 31 percent when it came to shooting.
Mississippi State was exceptionally stingy against the Owls as the Bulldogs pulled away 16 steals and managed to record six blocks against Kennesaw State. JerKaila Jordan and Jessika Carter tied with two blocks apiece.
All in all, Kennesaw State’s offense just couldn’t get past the Bulldogs regularly. Mississippi State forced 23 turnovers which converted into 30 points for Sam Purcell’s Mississippi State women’s basketball team.
That sort of stifling defensive effort will allow for the Bulldogs to have a lot of success this season. It just needs to be there consistently.