Bulldogs Outpaced by Lady Volunteers in Starkville Showdown
The Mississippi State Bulldogs faced a challenging contest against the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, concluding with a 64-75 defeat. The Bulldogs now stand with an unaltered record, while the Lady Volunteers improved theirs. The game at Humphrey Coliseum saw the home team unable to maintain their initial momentum, succumbing to a stronger finish from their opponents.
The Bulldogs opened strongly, outscoring the Lady Volunteers 23-12 in the first quarter. However, as the game progressed, they struggled to keep up with Tennessee's offensive push. The second quarter saw them add only 14 points to their tally compared to Tennessee's 18. After halftime, the challenge intensified for Mississippi State as they managed just five points in the third quarter while allowing 21 points from Tennessee.
Despite a valiant effort in the final quarter where they scored 22 points, it was not enough to bridge the gap created earlier in the game. The Bulldogs showcased resilience but were ultimately outmatched by Tennessee's consistent scoring across all four quarters.
Mississippi State demonstrated strength on defense with six steals and three blocks matching those of Tennessee but fell short on converting opportunities into points. Their shooting accuracy was slightly below that of their opponents', hitting 42 percent from field goals and 33 percent from beyond the arc compared to Tennessee's respective rates of 43 percent and 24 percent.
On offense, both teams had similar assists numbers with Mississippi State recording fifteen assists just one shy of Tennessee’s sixteen. However, turnovers proved costly for Mississippi State; they committed fifteen turnovers which translated into eleven points for Tennessee off those errors.
Rebounding was one area where Mississippi State excelled; they collected forty-one rebounds over thirty-eight by Tennessee and were particularly effective defensively grabbing twenty-seven defensive boards. Yet this advantage did not translate into dominance on second-chance scoring where they trailed seven to nineteen against their opponents.
The attendance at Humphrey Coliseum numbered five thousand five hundred seven fans who witnessed an intense conference game that featured only one lead change and no instances where scores were tied throughout all four quarters.
Looking ahead for Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs fans: your team will be visiting Florida Gators at Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center located in Gainesville on January twenty-second at seven PM Eastern Time (6 PM Central). This upcoming match can be followed live as it unfolds for those eager supporters who cannot make it to Florida.