Mississippi State women's basketball welcomed #1 Texas to Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday night, as well as a familiar face to the program. Longhorns HC Vic Schaefer, who was the HC at MSU from 2012-2020 and led the program to unprecedented heights, made his first return to Starkville since leaving for Texas.
It was an emotional night with such an important figure in Bulldog athletics in the building, and while Schaefer will forever be loved in Starkville, there was certainly extra motivation to get a win over him. State put that extra motivation to good use, pushing the nation's top-ranked team to the brink for the entire game.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, their efforts fell short in a 68-64 loss. Mississippi State is now 19-10 on the year and 6-9 in the SEC.
Longhorns' second half three-pointers were the difference over Mississippi State
Mississippi State's defense truly played a great game against Texas. They held the Longhorns under 42% shooting for the game, and much of the Texas starting lineup saw an inefficient night. The difference though came in the second half when the Longhorns settled in from distance.
After starting the game 1-8 from three, Texas made 5-6 three-point attempts in the second half. Shay Holle made four of those on the way to a game-leading 16 points. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Rori Harmon drained one from half-court to put Texas ahead, a momentum changing play in the game. Texas finding their shot is what propelled them over the Bulldogs.
Bulldogs missed too many close-range shots to pull off the upset of Texas
On the flipside, it was Mississippi State inefficiency inside the arc that ultimately proved costly. State was selective and effective from three (6-13), choosing to attack the paint on most possessions against a salty Texas defense.
That approach didn't yield the desired results. State shot just 38% from two, and while the Longhorns deserve their due for contesting those looks, there were plenty of open layups and floaters the Bulldogs simply missed. MSU did enough to be in the game until the end, but when you're playing a team like Texas, you've got to convert on the few open looks you get.
Mississippi State women's basketball can still build off this performance
It's a tough pill to swallow coming up just short against the #1 team, especially considering the emotions of this game with Vic Schaefer on the opposing bench. But there's no need for Mississippi State to hang their heads after this performance. If they can hang with Texas, they can hang with almost anyone, and that's a mentality that's necessary this time of year.
State still has one regular season game remaining against Auburn, one they need to win to feel good about their chances of returning to the NCAA Tournament. They've now played at a high level in consecutive games. Keep that momentum going, do what's necessary to get back in the tournament, and get ready to make a run in March.