The next two games will go a long way in determining the fate of the Mississippi State women’s basketball team.
While MSU (12-6, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) may have lost an opportunity to earn a key victory in a home loss to LSU on Jan. 5, it can take a big step toward redemption at 2 p.m. today against Auburn (10-9, 2-4).
Not only will a victory allow MSU to climb back to .500 in the league, it also will give it momentum entering its next game, at 7 p.m. Thursday against the University of Arkansas (13-5, 2-4) at Humphrey Coliseum.
Wins in both games will give MSU separation it needs against teams that figure to be in contention for some kind of postseason berth. The more wins MSU can get, especially at home, the better its chances will be of punching a ticket to the big dance, the NCAA tournament, as opposed to the “other” postseason destination, the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
“It is a huge week to us,” MSU coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said. “You do have to win at home, and hopefully, we will be able to carry over what we have just done. You look at the schedule and you know the importance of every one.”
MSU defeated the University of Mississippi 51-46 on Thursday in Oxford. The victory was the Lady Bulldogs’ second SEC road win of the season. Senior guard Diamber Johnson paced MSU with 21 points on a night in which MSU held Ole Miss to 26.6 percent shooting from the field.
Auburn is coming off a 53-49 victory against the University of South Carolina on Thursday at home. It is shooting 38.2 percent from the field this season. MSU is holding opponents to 34.4 percent, the second-lowest tally in the SEC, and the 22nd-best in the nation.
Tyrese Tanner leads Auburn in scoring at 11.3 points per game. She had 15 points against South Carolina. Hasina Muhammad also had 11 points in the game to raise her average to 10.0 ppg.
Fanning-Otis feels her team is focused for the task at hand. Last season, MSU lost to Auburn 45-41 and to Arkansas 61-56 in games that could have helped turn a season that finished at 13-17.
The next two games will show how much MSU has matured from a year ago and reveal its ability to deliver focused efforts on both ends of the floor in critical games.
“We just have to keep stepping up on things,” Fanning-Otis said.
Fanning-Ots expects to have senior forward Ashley Brown back in the rotation today. Brown missed the Ole Miss game with a hand/wrist injury.
Today’s game is Take a Kid to the Game Day, presented by Callaway Orthodontics. As part of the festivities, 3-point cards will be distributed as part of numerous other promotional activities.
In addition to Take a Kid to the Game Day, MSU also will participate in the final day of the SEC’s “We Back Pat Week,” an effort to help raise awareness for the fight against Alzheimer’s.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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