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LADY BULLDOGS MOVE TO 2-0 WITH TOUGH WIN AGAINST XAVIER
STARKVILLE, Miss.
–Mississippi State’s Martha Awal posted her second double-double of the
young campaign and Diamber Johnson poured in 21 points as the Lady
Bulldogs knocked off Xavier 71-65 in a women’s basketball game Monday
night at Humphrey Coliseum.
Trailing 18-15 midway through
the first half, the Lady Bulldogs (2-0) scored 10 points and did not
trail for the remainder of the contest. MSU led by as many as 13 points
and withstood one final Xavier rally to post a second consecutive
victory at home.
The victory also made sweet amends for
last season’s 61-36 setback to Xavier in a contest played in
Cincinnati. Xavier had won three straight meetings in the series.
“It
feels really great to get this win,” said Johnson, a senior guard.
“I’ve been here for four years, and we’ve never beaten Xavier. It was
nice to get a little taste of revenge.”
While the
Musketeers (1-1) are in the atypical position of not being nationally
ranked, the Xavier squad is still five-time defending champions of the
Atlantic 10 Conference.
“I realize that Xavier lost some
players, but four of those players (played) against us last year,” MSU
head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said. “They had some players that had
been really successful together, and a couple of transfers which means
they were another year older (and came) from some pretty good programs.”
Alwal,
the reigning Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week, scored 14
points and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds in 32 minutes of work.
This effort came on the heels of 11 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in
MSU’s season-opening win over Jacksonville State.
Xavier
started strong Monday night, sprinting to a 10-2 advantage at the first
media time out. Johnson scored on two of her team’s next three
possessions to bring the hosts within 10-8. Xavier ran the lead back
out to 16-9 and still led 18-15 before defensive pressure started the
game-deciding run.
A jumper by Alwal placed the Maroon and
White in the lead for good. Porsha Porter followed with a steal and
fast-break layup. Another Xavier turnover led to Ashley Brown layup as
the hosts grabbed a 25-18 lead with 7:43 left before halftime.
The
Lady Bulldogs eased into halftime with a 37-32 advantage. Despite
allowing 53.8 percent shooting from the field, the Lady Bulldogs offset
that by forcing 12 first-half turnovers. Xavier also had a 21-15
rebounding advantage at the break.
In the second half, the Lady Bulldogs took matters on the defensive end and seized complete control of the contest.
“We
changed defenses on them, but we gave up some layups because we did not
have the weak side help,” Fanning-Otis said. “You saw them with a
couple of open threes. But, hopefully, we will get tougher and learn
from each other.
“When we had a 13-point lead, I had hoped that at that point we could put a team away. That’s something we have to grow into.”
After
Xavier closed within 37-35, the Lady Bulldogs moved back out to a
comfortable lead with a 12-1 run. A layup by Porter gave the hosts a
game-best 49-36 lead with 14:37 remaining.
Xavier did hang
tough, reeling off eight straight points to close within five. The
Musketeers would get within two on three different occasions in the
second half, including at 67-65 with 53 seconds left. Johnson, who
finished with eight second-half points, sank four free throws to close
out the victory.
“During the second half, I was really
trying to get everyone involved, but things weren’t really falling for
them,” Johnson said. “I knew it was time for me to take over. I was
comfortable with myself taking those shots.”
For the
contest, the Lady Bulldogs hit 28 of 69 shots from the field (40.6
percent), 3 of 9 shots from 3-point range (33.3 percent) and 12 of 18
shots from the foul line (66.7 percent). The Musketeers hit 22 of 51
shots from the field (43.1 percent), 7 of 22 shots from 3-point range
(31.8 percent) and 14 of 20 shots from the foul line (70.0 percent).
Xavier
held a 43-37 rebounding advantage. The Lady Bulldogs had 13 assists and
eight turnovers, while the Musketeers had 15 assists and 19 turnovers.
Porter
was also in double figures with 14 points, while Brown pulled down
seven rebounds in 21 minutes before fouling out late in the contest.
MSU had a remarkable 13 steals, including six by Porter. Johnson dished
out a team-high seven assists.
Xavier received a
double-double from Jessica Pachko (14 points, 11 rebounds). Others in
double figures included Tyeasha Moss with 14 points, Shatyra Hawkes
with 12 points and Lynette Holmes with 12 points.
MSU concludes its season-opening three-game homestand with a 7 p.m. start against Alcorn State Thursday night.
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