STARKVILLE — One step forward, one step back.
As much as Porsha Porter has raised her level to meet the challenges of Southeastern Conference basketball, the junior guard admits she still has work to do.
The same can be said the Mississippi State women”s basketball team.
On Sunday, Porter”s performance epitomized the journey of the 2010-11 Lady Bulldogs. She scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds, made five steals, and handed out two assists, but she also committed nine turnovers.
Like Porter, nearly every time MSU executed it followed that sequence with a lapse or a mistake that ultimately cost it in a 67-60 loss to the University of Florida before a crowd of 931 at Humphrey Coliseum.
Porter”s points and steals were the most she has had in a SEC game this season. Her turnover total also was a high for all games.
“I am going to make turnovers, and I can”t help that,” Porter said. “I try to use my defense to get that back, and to continue to play hard when I do turn the ball over so I can show my teammates and my coach if I do make a turnover I know how to get it back. I think that is what I did throughout the game.”
Porter had 13 points, a season-high eight rebounds, five assists, three steals, and five turnovers Thursday in an 81-55 loss to Tennessee. Her energy level carried over to Sunday, but it wasn”t enough to prevent MSU (8-12, 0-8 SEC) from losing its ninth game in a row.
“If you have two assists and nine turnovers there is something you”re going to have to do just a little bit differently,” MSU coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said. “But I do want to compliment (Porsha), and I do want to say the last two ballgames she has had energy. She has the focus to be there. She is going to have to keep learning the game.”
Fanning-Otis said the same is true for the team, which had more turnovers than assists (19 to 13), was outrebounded (37-27), and allowed Florida to shoot more free throws (15 of 23 to 6 of 8).
“We”re not going past one play into the next one,” Fanning-Otis said. “Hopefully we”ll mature. It is maturity. It”s a mind-set. It is something they have to challenge themselves with. They have to want to punch as far as their energy. When you have all of them getting to that point where they have that energy this can be a good basketball team.”
Porter has improved her shooting and is finishing better, as evidenced by her 5-of-12 shooting effort (3 of 6 from 3-point range). But she, like her teammates, tends to try to do things too quickly. In the first half, she hit a trey to cut Florida”s lead to 18-15 with 10 minutes, 20 seconds to play. She pushed the ball up the floor in transition on the next possession, but ultimately committed a turnover when she couldn”t catch the ball later in the play. She made up for it, though, by coming from behind to poke the ball from a Florida player.
Later in the half, she committed an unforced turnover and followed that with a pass two possessions later that led to a 3-pointer by Mary Kathryn Govero (game-high 22 points).
The give-and-take helped MSU shoot a season-high 52 percent (13 of 25) in the first half, but it committed 11 turnovers and allowed Florida (14-9, 4-5) to shoot 55.6 percent (15 of 27) and trailed 36-33 at intermission.
“I think we still lack (communication),” Porter said. “There were a couple of possessions when we let them score open layups and we didn”t talk.”
In the second half, Porter converted an aggressive drive into a three-point play that cut Florida”s lead to 41-38 with 17:04 remaining. A trey by Govero cut the deficit to 43-41 at the 16:20 mark, but MSU went the next 5:30 without a point (0-for-8 from the field, three turnovers). One of the misses was a scoop layup airball by Porter.
“Porsha”s energy is going to help us win,” Fanning-Otis said. “As she makes better and better decisions with the ball in terms of shots, passing, and where her teammates are, we”ll become a better basketball team. That is true for all of us.”
Center Catina Bett had four points and three rebounds in 26 minutes, and power forward Ashley Brown had zero points and four rebounds in 24 minutes. Fanning-Otis said both payers need to bring more to the court, especially when an opposing post player (Florida center Azania Stewart had a team-high 19 points) plays so well.
“No question Azania”s play today was the difference,” Florida coach Amanda Butler said. “When she is that type of player in the paint makes us a completely different team.”
Butler said redshirt freshman forward Lily Svete urged the team to maintain its poise, and she felt the Gators did a good job of not having any composure moments. She also credited Lanita Bartley and Jones for helping to seal the deal after the Gators missed three free throws in the final 42.4 seconds. Danielle Rector”s 3-pointer with 28 seconds to play cut the deficit to 63-60, but Bartley and Jones each hit two free throws to preserve the victory.
“Jordan wanted the ball, “Butler said. “That is a big, big part of being a confident free-throw shooter.”
Jones, who was 6 of 6 from the free-throw line, also had a 3-pointer from the right wing with the shot clock running down that gave Florida a 66-55 lead with 1:47 to play.
Porter said she is confident in her ability to get to the basket and to finish. She is equally sure of herself on defense and in the team”s ability to reach its goal of delivering a 40-minute performance.
“We are working on it as a team,” Porter said. “I don”t think we gave the whole 40 minutes because we lacked on some possessions. It is a process. It is going to take a lot of effort and energy to reach other teams, like Connecticut and Tennessee. You have to work. I don”t think the team is working hard enough to get the whole 40 minutes. Maybe when we play Alabama (at 7 p.m. Thursday) we can play 40 minutes and get the win.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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