There was a time when the rivalry between Mississippi State and Ole Miss on the women’s basketball court was completely one-sided toward the Rebels, as 50 of the first 51 meetings went to the red and blue. That pendulum has swung all the way to the maroon and white side, as the Bulldogs have now won 32 of the last 45 and 10 straight, adding today’s 80-49 win at the Humphrey Coliseum to that tally. The Bulldogs dominated the Rebels inside the lane, winning points in the paint by a 42-14 margin, sparked by Teaira McCowan’s huge day. The senior center went for 33 points and 13 rebounds, as MSU improved to 19-1 overall and 7-0 in the SEC.
THE PLAYER
Make that THIRTY!@Teaira_15 has 30+ points for the first time this season, sixth time in her career!#HailState? pic.twitter.com/NqG5S62EDI
— MSU W. Basketball (@HailStateWBK) January 27, 2019
Like most teams, Ole Miss simply had no answer for Teaira McCowan, and coming off a season low 2 points against Florida, you had to guess the Bulldog’s All-SEC center would be looking to bounce back in a big way. McCowan did a tremendous job of taking passes in the paint and keeping the ball high, making it impossible for the Rebel post defenders to force turnovers. She also excelled on the free throw line, hitting 11 out of 12. For a player that gets to the stripe as often as McCowan, those type of numbers are a nightmare for opposing coaches. Her frontcourt cohort, Anriel Howard, also grabbed a double double with 16 points and 11 boards of her own, contributing to a plus 16 rebounding margin over the Rebels.
BIG WEEKEND FOR BASKETBALL
ANOTHER 10k crowd here at the Hump, our third of the season!
Thank you for making the Hump so incredible!#HailState? pic.twitter.com/adj8SXlkiP
— MSU W. Basketball (@HailStateWBK) January 27, 2019
A day after Mississippi State’s men’s team packed over ten thousand into The Hump, the women got their third crowd over that mark of the season. Coach Vic Schaefer was full of praise for Bulldog fans in attendance, saying he remains in awe of the way this program has drawn support over the past few seasons. Today’s crowd was the fourth largest in program history, and likely will not be the last crowd in five digits this season.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Final. @khaylapointer1: 17p, 5a
Ayana Mitchell: 12p, 10r pic.twitter.com/PDTsA8Hvg2— LSU Women's Basketball (@LSUwbkb) January 27, 2019
Mississippi State will travel down to LSU this Thursday for a showdown with the Tigers. LSU has lost 3 of its last 4 games to three of the better teams in the conference, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee. MSU has won the last four meetings between the two teams, including an 83-70 decision in Baton Rouge last year.
Photo courtesy of Mississippi State athletics
