As the great Mike Breen says, Bang.
Graduate transfer Lauren Park-Lane delivered a record-setting performance Wednesday night, leading Mississippi State with 33 points and six assists in the Bulldogs’ 82-75 win at Colorado State. Most of that tally came from beyond the arc, where she shot a remarkable 10-for-17 to establish a new single-game program record for made 3-pointers.
The Bulldogs now sit at 12-2 with a quality win over the Rams (9-2), once again finding the hot hand and setting the tone offensively. It took a lot of work to overcome an eight-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, but MSU’s high-powered offense and lockdown defense down the stretch flipped the game in the visitors’ favor.
Park-Lane was the tone-setter early on offense as the Bulldogs took a quick lead in the first quarter, jumping out to an 11-point edge after five minutes, but Colorado State was more than a match to keep pace with MSU.
The Rams stormed back and seemed to be taking full control after a strong third quarter, with McKenna Hofschild and Kendall Kinzer putting in great shifts on the offensive end. Kinzer hit a 3-pointer from way downtown to beat the buzzer heading into the fourth quarter, giving the Rams a 64-56 lead. It felt like a major momentum shift in favor of the hosts, but the Bulldogs roared to life in the fourth quarter. They outscored CSU 26-11 in the final frame of action to finish off the win, led out as they started by Park-Lane’s prolific shooting from distance.
It was a remarkable night for Park-Lane, and an admirable team performance from the Bulldogs as a whole to see out the win over a very tricky opponent. It’s a win that will carry weight when March rolls around as well, but more importantly, it was a win that tested this MSU squad from start to finish, a test which they emphatically passed.
The Bulldogs return to action after Christmas with one more non-conference game at home against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 29 before starting their Southeastern Conference schedule in the new year against Vanderbilt.
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