Three Themes from Mississippi State's Loss to Tennessee
The Mississippi State women's basketball team fell to Tennessee 75-64 on Thursday.
The Bulldogs entered SEC play with a stellar 13-2 record, but they've now lost three of their last five games against the conference.
This matchup had many factors that influenced the outcome in Starkville, Miss. Here are three themes:
The Bulldogs' Well-Rounded First Quarter
State's men's basketball team defeated Tennessee on Jan. 10, and throughout the first quarter on Thursday, it appeared the women's team would take them down as well.
Mississippi State was up 23-12 at the end of the period, as they converted a very efficient 11-of-21 attempts (52.4 percent) and also out-rebounded (16-9) and out-assisted (6-3) the Lady Volunteers by decent margins.
As she has for many games this season, forward Jessika Carter led the Bulldogs in points on 4-of-5 shooting, but many other players scored and wrote their names on that stat sheet as well.
Mississippi State's defense couldn't have been much better, as they forced Tennessee to take several difficult shots, which resulted in just four makes on 18 attempts, including 1-of-9 from behind the arc.
The Momentum Shift
After Carter was benched for her second foul early in the second quarter, Tennessee started to take advantage down low. Mississippi State forward Erynn Barnum certainly held her own as she logged eight rebounds by halftime, but the Lady Volunteers outscored the Bulldogs 18-14 in the period to cut their deficit to 37-30.
Mississippi State's offense didn't click much in the second quarter either as they shot 5-of-13 from the field and committed four turnovers in that span. Carter only played 11 minutes in the first half and finished with those eight points from the first quarter, while Barnum and guard Jerkaila Jordan were practically the Bulldogs' lone efficient scorers in the second quarter as they ended the opening half with nine points apiece.
As Tennessee started to really showcase its ability on both ends in the second quarter, all of the momentum shifted in its direction coming out of the locker room for the third. A strong 13-5 start to the period helped them gain their first lead (43-42) at the 4:44 timeout.
Nevertheless, they'd only continue to catch fire in the final minutes of the period, as they scored 21 in that span. As they had in the first half, Tennessee struggled from downtown, but made up for it inside and at the charity stripe in the second and third quarters.
The Bulldogs' third-quarter offense turned into an even worse version of the Lady Volunteers' first-quarter performance, as Mississippi State converted on just 2-of-13 attempts for a whopping five points in the period. Like the second quarter, they committed four turnovers once again.
Too Little Too Late
Sensing a comeback was its only way of victory, Mississippi State offensively returned to its first-quarter version of itself in the fourth, as they scored 22 points in the period on 7-of-13 from the field. Carter, Barnum, and guards Debreasha Powe and Lauren Park-Lane were able to finish the game each scoring in double figures.
However, the Bulldogs' defense continued to struggle as they allowed 24 points in the period on 8-of-13 from the field. Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson was a key piece during the momentum shift and she finished the game with a team-high 19 points. Additionally, three other Lady Volunteers joined the 10-plus point club during the fourth-quarter shootout.
