LADY BULLDOGS NOTCH FIRST SEC WIN, 66-61 AT ALABAMA
TUSCALOOSA,
Ala. – While the University of Alabama remains proud of Foster
Auditorium, the new home of its women’s basketball team, Mississippi
State has also found the facility to its liking. Trailing
for most of the contest Thursday night, MSU notched its first
Southeastern Conference victory of the season and a second straight win
in this building. A late Kendra Grant 3-point basket broke a tie as the
Lady Bulldogs posted a 66-61 victory. “I
had to knock it down, I was open and Diamber (Johnson) saw me,” said
Grant, of her game-winning shot. “I knew I had to knock it down and I
did.” That
basket came at the 1:18 mark and actually gave the Lady Bulldogs their
first lead of the second half. Alabama missed two shots on its
offensive end before MSU received possession after a loose ball went
out of bounds. Porsha
Porter, back in the lineup after missing Sunday’s loss at Kentucky due
to illness, sank two free throws to close out the Lady Bulldogs’ fifth
straight win on the Alabama campus. The
Lady Bulldogs (11-5 overall, 1-2 SEC) have now won eight times all-time
in Tuscaloosa, with seven of those wins coming in the last nine series
meetings here. “There
were a lot of big plays,” MSU head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said.
“Kendra hit a big 3 and Martha (Awal) came up with a big shot. Shamia
(Robinson) also had a big shot. We had some rebounds with folks off the
bench, and Diamber attacked the basket.” The
Lady Bulldogs struggled on the defensive end early. After a basket by
Johnson gave MSU a 16-15 lead, The Crimson Tide grabbed a 26-20 lead
with an 11-4 run. Thanks in part to a 3-point from Porter, the Maroon
and White closed back within one. Alabama
(10-8 overall, 0-4 SEC) answered with the game’s next seven points to
take a 33-25 lead with 3:28 left in the half. UA would run the
advantage to 11 points before taking a 41-34 halftime lead.
In the opening half, the Crimson Tide hit 44.4 percent of its shots.
Defensively, MSU changed some things around in the second half. Alabama
missed all five of its 3-point attempts in the final half and also
never made it to the free throw line in the final 20 minutes. “Not
allowing a free throw or 3-point basket in the second half was a real
positive for this team,” Fanning-Otis said. “We stepped up and got
better as a team. We found a way to come back and get a big SEC win.” The
Lady Bulldogs held Alabama to two field goals over the first seven-plus
minutes of the final half. A jumper by Alwal brought MSU within two at
43-41. Alabama
quickly reestablished a six-point lead and held some type of lead until
Grant hit a game-tying 3-point basket with 4:17 left. Alabama had only
one field goal the rest of the way. Two
free throws by Porter again created a 61-61 tie with 2:26 left.
Slightly more than a minute later, Grant hit the eventual game-winner. For
the contest, the Lady Bulldogs hit 23 of 54 shots from the field (42.6
percent), 9 of 26 shots from 3-point range (34.6 percent) and 11 of 17
shots from the foul line (64.7 percent). The Crimson Tide hit 22 of 56
shots from the field (39.3 percent), 5 of 15 shots from 3-point range
(33.3 percent) and 12 of 15 shots from the foul line (80.0 percent). UA
held a 37-34 rebounding advantage. The Lady Bulldogs had 14 assists and
18 turnovers, while the Crimson Tide had 11 assists and 20 turnovers. Johnson
paced four Lady Bulldogs in double figures with 22 points. Porter added
16 points, while Grant scored 13 points and Catina Bett scored 11
points. Porter’s efforts pushed the Chicago native past 500 career
points. “To have four players in double figures is a real positive for this team,” Fanning-Otis said. Alabama received 15 points from Celiscia Farmer and 11 points from Jasmine Robinson. The Lady Bulldogs host No. 19 Georgia at 2 p.m. Sunday.
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