STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State women’s basketball team moved to 4-0 on the season after a dominant 94-53 win over Bethune-Cookman on Monday night at Humphrey Coliseum.
The four opening games of the season proved a good testing ground for the Bulldogs as they adjusted after a hectic preseason, and they will go into their first road test fresh off of a game in which their opponent never really troubled them.
“I can’t be too confident; it’s a day-to-day thing competing for that focus and energy,” interim coach Doug Novak said of his team’s dominance. “Sometimes your competition lets you off the hook and maybe lets you look a little better than you were.”
Novak spoke highly of the Wildcats, saying he thought going in that they would be maybe the toughest of their first four opponents.
“It may not have looked like it tonight,” Novak said, “but we made it hard on ‘em.”
The Bulldogs started a bit slowly, but it didn’t last. Rickea Jackson was excellent on her return, getting her fifth career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Anastasia Hayes and JerKaila Jordan stayed hot after leading the Jackson-less Bulldogs to victory against Alcorn State.
Jordan led the team in scoring for the second game in a row with 20 points, while Hayes contributed 14 points.
Raven Farley and Denae Carter once again got the majority of minutes at the 5, with Charlotte Kohl seeing action in the second half. Farley, who started the game, again led the Bulldogs in rebounding with 13 and was an important part of their defensive dominance.
The dominance was a welcome change from the slow start against Alcorn State and the early scare against South Dakota State, as right from the opening minutes the Bulldogs looked to be the better team.
Five players were double-digit scorers, protecting the paint was never a problem, and there was plenty of space created for the shooters.
“I thought (Anastasia Hayes) was tremendous tonight,” Novak said, “and she played with a lot of different lineups.”
Novak had high praise for the guard unit as a whole and credited them with the Bulldogs’ potent offense.
“We’re racking up a lot of assists and sharing the ball,” Novak said. “There’s no one that’s singled out; they’re all playing off of each other. Put all your egos aside and ask what does this team need, and all four are doing an outstanding job with that.”
The Bulldogs will travel to Florida for the Daytona Beach Invitational over Thanksgiving, where they will face Dayton at 11 a.m. Thursday and Michigan at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in two big tests.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion