STARKVILLE — Ashley Brown has earned a reputation as a rebounder.
In her second year with the program, the 5-foot-11 transfer from Jefferson College (Mo.) has shown a nose for the ball and a willingness to mix it up in the paint like no other member of the Mississippi State women’s basketball team.
When given a chance, Brown also can make an impact in the scoring column.
Brown had one of the biggest games of her career Monday night, scoring all of her 15 points in the first half to help MSU beat the University of Louisiana at Lafayette 72-38 before a crowd of 660 at Humphrey Coliseum.
Whether it’s scoring or rebounding, Brown wants to energize her teammates with her play. It doesn’t matter to her if she gets five or 15 points as long as she is doing her job and making a positive contribution.
But Brown, a senior, doesn’t think there is a correlation between her energy level and her scoring, even though two of her classmates disagree.
“I wouldn’t say there is,” Brown said. “Do you think so, ‘D?’ ”
“Your great energy is the reason you get those points and those rebounds,” MSU point guard Diamber Johnson said.
“But then again it is like I’m there at the right time,” Brown said.
Said Johnson, “You still have to fight for it.”
“If you say so,” Brown said.
“Today she brought a lot of energy to the team to get her points,” MSU guard Porsha Porter said.
It remains to be seen if Johnson and Porter convinced Brown of the relationship between her energy and her production level. But the performances of Johnson (14 points) and Porter (13) helped MSU (9-2) run its record to 8-0 at home this season. Johnson matched her career-high with a season-high 10 assists (second career double-double) as the Lady Bulldogs had the most assists (21) in a game this season. The Lady Bulldogs’ previous high in a game was 14.
Johnson’s 10 assists moved her past Alexis Rack into 10th place all-time on the school’s assists list with 295.
MSU built a 16-0 lead to open the game and shot a season-best 48.5 percent (16 of 33) en route to a 39-16 halftime lead. The 39 points were the most in a first half this season for the Lady Bulldogs, who had a 48-6 edge in points in the paint and 18 steals.
For Brown, who was 6 of 6 from the field and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line, the first half was a chance to play the role of dominating scorer, and she said she is willing to do anything it takes to help her team win.
“I try to get as many rebounds as I can,” Brown said. “My thing is whatever comes. If I can score, I score. I am not all about points. Tonight, they were just there for me, so I just took them.”
Johnson and Porter hope Brown can bring her energy level when MSU returns to action at 6 p.m. Dec. 29 against Oklahoma State in the first round of the Peppermill Holiday Classic in Reno, Nev. Nevada and Long Island will meet in the other game.
“It is great. We need that,” Johnson said. “You can’t say she is a silent assassin because she (doesn’t have to score in double figures), but she is going to get all of those rebounds and she is going to do all of the dirty work.”
Said Porter, “She is going to help us, too, because they have to focus on us and Ashley. If Ashley is scoring, too, they’re going to have make a transition from us to her. I think that helps us a lot.”
On Nov. 26, Brown scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting in a 56-42 victory against Savannah State. She also had 11 points in a 70-55 victory against Tulane on Dec. 4.
A year ago, Brown hit double figures in points six times and rebounds 10 times. She led the Lady Bulldogs with 8.3 rebounds per game, the third-most by a player in program history.
Entering Monday’s game, Brown had increased her rebounding average to 8.5 per game even with the emergence of freshman center Martha Alwal, who came into the game with a team-best 8.9 rpg.
Brown reverted back to rebounding form in the second half, grabbing four caroms in the first 9 minutes, 2 seconds before going to the bench with her second foul. She returned for a cameo appearance with 5:13 to go and grabbed one more rebound.
MSU coach Sharon Fanning-Otis expects all of the players to play as consistently as Brown has played this month. Brown, who had seven rebounds Monday, reached double figures in rebounds in her first three games this month. She notched her fourth career double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) against Tulane.
“I think her energy and her focus is what we’re trying to get players to do,” Fanning-Otis said. “You can’t let whether you’re scoring or not relate to your energy and your focus in a game. … Ashley is helping us (become a tougher, better team). I think she is maturing.”
MSU, which allowed a season-low 38 points, led 31 points twice in the second half before pushing the lead to 70-36 on a jump shot by Johnson with 2:25 remaining. The win helped it improve to 7-0 all-time against ULL. The average margin of victory in the first six victories was 26 points.
Laurie Beaty led ULL (5-6) with 11 points. The 38 points was the second-lowest scoring total this season for the Ragin’ Cajuns. ULL coach Errol Rogers was an assistant coach for Fanning-Otis from 2003-07.
MSU will open Southeastern Conference play at 7 p.m. Jan. 5, 2012, when it plays host to LSU.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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