Mississippi State comes up short, but proves it belongs against No. 5 Vanderbilt

Mississippi State’s late rally fell short against Vanderbilt, but the performance hinted at a breakthrough looming in SEC play.

Mississippi State freshman Madison Francis against No. 5 Vanderbilt in Starkville. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State walked off the floor Thursday night with a loss, but not with the feeling of a team that simply showed up to collect a paycheck against an undefeated, top-five opponent.

The scoreboard said Vanderbilt 89, Mississippi State 84. The performance said something far more encouraging.

For most of the night, the Bulldogs went toe-to-toe with the fifth-ranked Commodores, trading punches in a game that looked nothing like a mismatch. State controlled the paint, outscoring Vanderbilt 42-32 inside, a stat that usually signals a Bulldog win. In fact, it was the first time all season Mississippi State won the paint battle and still came up short. That alone tells you how thin the margin was.

The late surge will grab the headlines, Mississippi State trimming a once-comfortable Vanderbilt lead down to a single possession, but the real takeaway is that the Bulldogs put themselves in position to matter late against one of the best teams in the country. That hasn’t always been the case during this brutal January stretch.

Madison Francis continues to look like the Bulldogs’ most reliable constant. For the third straight game, she finished in double figures, leading the team with 15 points while shooting an efficient 60 percent. She also pulled down eight rebounds, anchoring a frontcourt that refused to be overwhelmed by Vanderbilt’s size and speed.

Favour Nwaedozi’s night was a mix of frustration and promise. Limited to just 20 minutes by foul trouble, she still managed 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting and six rebounds before fouling out. It’s hard not to wonder what the final minutes might have looked like had she been able to stay on the floor.

The Bulldogs also got timely contributions from everywhere else. Saniyah King delivered a season-high 13 points in just 23 minutes, her first double-figure scoring effort of the year. Kharyssa Richardson matched her with 13, continuing a trend of stepping up when conference play demands it. Chandler Prater rounded out the balanced attack with 10 points and a pair of steals.

Trayanna Crisp didn’t lead the team in scoring, but she may have been the engine. Her seven assists, tying a career high, kept the offense moving, while three steals and two timely three-pointers helped fuel the late push.

The loss stings because it was there. But it also reinforces something important: Mississippi State is competing, not surviving, against elite teams.

That reality will be tested again almost immediately. The Bulldogs won’t get a breather No. 7 Kentucky comes to Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday.