Despite a limited first-half scoring output from senior guard Jordan Danberry and foul trouble plaguing sophomore center Jessika Carter, No. 8 Mississippi State earned its first top 25 win of the season with a 72-55 win over No. 23 Tennessee in Knoxville on Thursday.
“To be where we are with this group today is really a credit to them and my staff,” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said postgame. “They have really done a tremendous job to be where we are today. I’m awfully proud of them.”
While Danberry was scoreless in the game’s opening 20 minutes and Carter picked up two fouls before halftime for the fourth time in six games, it was freshman guard Rickea Jackson and junior guard Chloe Bibby who anchored the Bulldogs’ offense in their absence.
Jackson — who garnered Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week honors for the second time this season a week ago — surpassed the 12-point mark for the fifth time in her past six games, finishing the night with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Bibby’s reemergence in the MSU offense was a welcome surprise for coach Vic Schaefer; the Warracknabeal, Australia, native had failed to reach double digits since a Jan. 9 win over Missouri. Finding space against Tennessee’s 2-3 zone, Bibby notched 11 of her 13 points in the first half and finished 6 of 12 from the floor.
With Bibby and Jackson leading the way, MSU turned a Tennessee scoreless stretch lasting over six minutes into a 17-4 run to take a 38-30 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the break, Danberry found her stroke — notching seven of her 11 points in the final 3:41 of the third quarter — as she helped MSU close the frame on an 11-3 run.
“We didn’t start the game how we ended it, which is playing hard on defense, getting after the passing lanes and just being aggressive on defense,” sophomore guard Myah Taylor said. “I just feel like if we start off aggressive, this team can go really far.”
As Carter sat for much of the first half and the final 7:47 of the fourth quarter, junior college transfer Yemiyah Morris notched 11 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes of action, marking the longest outing of her MSU career.
“That gave me a lot more confidence,” Morris said. “I just have to be ready to play the next time, just be ready.”
With Tennessee leading scorer and rebounder Rennia Davis — who’s averaging 18.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this year — sat out with the flu, sophomore guard Rea Burrell led the Volunteers with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-20 shooting.
Following the win, MSU became the first team in SEC history to beat Tennessee in Knoxville three straight times. The Bulldogs have now defeated the Volunteers in seven of their last eight meetings after losing the first 36 games of the series.
Mississippi State is back in action Sunday afternoon for the second of what will be three straight games against ranked opponents, welcoming No. 16 Texas A&M to Starkville.
“If you go in there and fight and compete, you can play with anyone in the country,” Schaefer said. “I think that’s what we’ve done at Mississippi State with everybody we’ve learned to play against, whether that’s Tennessee or Georgia or Connecticut, anybody else. We’ve learned that if we go in there and play our way and we’re tough and aggressive and physical, we’ve got a chance every night.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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