Bulldogs win 14th straight over Rebels in hard-fought affair
STARKVILLE, Miss. – It wasn't easy at all, but Mississippi State's recent domination of Ole Miss continues.
The No. 14 Bulldogs faced a mighty challenge in the form of the rapidly-improving Rebels at the Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday, but MSU eventually celebrated a 60-56 win. It marked the 14th consecutive victory in the series for State. The Bulldogs haven't lost to the Rebels in nearly seven full years, dating back to January 23, 2014. Sunday's win wasn't without some nail-biting though as MSU narrowly held onto its streak.
"They are better in all aspects," MSU head coach Nikki McCray-Penson said comparing this year's Rebels to Ole Miss squads of the past.
State has controlled the instate rivalry for essentially the entire last decade-plus. MSU has now won 20 of the last 22 overall against the Rebels and 22 of the last 25 starting with a State victory in January of 2009. However the latest Bulldog win over the Rebels proved to be one of the toughest in recent memory.
Ole Miss (7-2, 1-2) played neck-and-neck with Mississippi State for much of the evening. The Rebels and Bulldogs were tied 12-12 after the first quarter and MSU held only a four-point advantage with a 31-27 lead at halftime. The Bulldogs opened up a 14-point advantage in the second half, however the Rebels fought back to within two at 58-56 with only seconds left when a potential game-tying shot was missed by Ole Miss' Donnetta Johnson with just five ticks left on the clock. Shortly after, MSU's Myah Taylor hit a pair of free throws to lock down State's triumph.
McCray-Penson bemoaned her team's energy as the Bulldogs nearly allowed a double-digit fourth-quarter lead to slip away.
"We basically just fell apart," McCray-Penson said. "And you can't do that against a very talented Ole Miss team.
"We just really fell apart that second half. We had open looks. We were tired...But when we needed to get a stop, we got a stop."
It was a nip-and-tuck affair from pretty much the opening tip on with the Rebels very much threatening to upset MSU. The Bulldogs shot just 38 percent to Ole Miss' 41. The Rebels also out-rebounded State by 10 boards.
While Mississippi State (8-2, 3-1) scratched and clawed over the first two quarters, it was Aliyah Matharu keeping the Bulldogs afloat. The sophomore guard scored 11 of her 16 points for the day in the first half. While MSU was ice cold shooting from the field prior to halftime, Matharu was 4-for-5 on her shots, including 3-for-4 from three-point range during that stretch.
"Coach McCray always says to start out with an easy shot to get your feel," Matharu said of her big night. "I came in and got fouled. I got an easy and-1. Then from there, I found my rhythm and found my flow."
While Matharu helped the Bulldogs survive the first half, Jessika Carter and Rickea Jackson led the charge as MSU sealed the deal. Carter finished the game with a team-high 19 points and Jackson scored nine. Carter scored 11 of her points over the third and fourth quarters while all of Jackson's came in the second half. In such a tight game, every point proved to be critical.
Johnson led Ole Miss with a game-high 25 points. Valerie Nesbitt scored 18 for the Rebels. It was all nearly enough to end MSU's run of success against the Rebels but the Bulldogs were able to barely hold on.
And make no mistake, barely still counts. However on the heels of the tight win, the Bulldogs feel they still have many improvements to make moving forward.
"We've got to be better down the stretch," McCray-Penson said. "We have to execute better."
MSU will try to put those corrections in action when the Bulldogs return to action on Thursday, hosting Alabama in a 7 p.m. central game.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCES
MSU guard Aliyah Matharu
MSU forward Jessika Carter
MSU head coach Nikki McCray-Penson
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