Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs Outpaced by Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena
The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs faced a tough challenge against the Auburn Tigers, culminating in a 60-77 defeat. The Lady Bulldogs now stand with an overall record of 0-1, while the Tigers have kicked off their season with a victory, moving to 1-0.
From the opening quarter, the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs trailed behind, scoring 12 points to Auburn's 19. Despite picking up momentum in the second quarter with 16 points and maintaining that pace post-halftime with another consecutive 16-point performance in both remaining quarters, it wasn't enough to close the gap created by Auburn's consistent scoring drive.
The Mississippi State team struggled from beyond the arc, converting only four out of sixteen three-point attempts for a shooting percentage of twenty-five percent. Inside the paint was where they found more success, contributing twenty-eight points but still falling short compared to their opponents' thirty points in this area. Their free throw accuracy was commendable at seventy-eight percent; however, it was not sufficient to turn the tide as they made eighteen out of twenty-three attempts.
On defense and rebounding fronts, there were notable efforts from Mississippi State as they gathered forty-three rebounds—twenty-three defensive and sixteen offensive—but these did not translate into controlling possession effectively since they turned over the ball seventeen times. With only nine assists throughout the game compared to Auburn's seventeen assists and an assist-to-turnover ratio of just zero point fifty-three for Mississippi State against two point eighty-three for Auburn highlighted challenges in ball distribution and offensive efficiency.
Auburn capitalized on turnovers scoring twenty-five points off them which significantly contributed to their victory margin. They also had better success on field goals making thirty-two out of seventy-four attempts resulting in a forty-three percent completion rate compared to Mississippi State's nineteen successful field goals from fifty-nine attempts (thirty-two percent).
Looking ahead after this challenging encounter at Neville Arena before an attendance crowd of two thousand eight hundred eighteen fans, The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs will return home seeking redemption. Their next game is scheduled against Missouri Tigers at Humphrey Coliseum located in Starkville on March third at two o'clock PM Central Time Zone. Fans can catch all action live as it unfolds on court through future broadcasts dedicated for this matchup.