STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State women’s basketball team had all of the answers Sunday.
Whether it was a 3-pointer from the left wing from Savannah Carter or a trey by Kendra Grant from the other side, MSU denied Georgia at every turn en route to an 80-657 victory before a crowd of 2,286 at Humphrey Coliseum.
Martha Alwal had a team-high 20 points and seven rebounds to lead three players in double figures. The number of players that reached double digits for MSU (16-7, 3-6 Southeastern Conference) wasn’t as important as the fact that all nine Bulldogs who played scored. From a career-high 17 points by Katia May to Sherise Williams, who had two points in three minutes, to the three-headed bench monster of Ketara Chapel (five points), Kendra Grant (seven), and Jerica James (six), MSU defeated Georgia (15-7, 3-6) in back-to-back meetings for the first time since 2010 and scored its most points against coach Andy Landers’ team since 2004.
“I just loved how we competed today,” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. “We came out in the first half and I thought we swung the first punch, and I thought we kept punching. I really thought our kids were sensational. I thought every kid on our team that played today made a play when we needed it. Every one of them. KG (Grant) makes a big three when we are dying on the vine. JJ (James) makes two big threes out there when she comes in.”
MSU played perhaps its best 16 minutes of basketball in the first half to build its largest lead, 41-23, with 4 minutes, 21 seconds remaining in the first 20 minutes. But Georgia used a 14-3 run to close the half to seize the momentum and cut the deficit to 44-37.
MSU responded after Georgia cut its lead to 46-41 on a layup by Krista Donald, of Lake, Miss., at the 18-minute, 28-second mark and had an answer for each of Georgia’s run thanks to a balanced scoring afternoon and plenty of contributions from its starters and its bench players.
“It is part of building a program,” Schaefer said. “Last year, we didn’t have a bench. This year, we have a little bit of a bench. It is not as much as I want, but it is a little bit of a bench. Right now, your bench consists of a kid that started two years in Kendra, you have to feel good about that. JJ has been doing a good job at point for us when Katia gets tired or starts having a little turnover hiccup.
“I am going to play a freshman at four. It doesn’t matter (if Breanna Richardson or Ketara Chapel) is there. We’re starting two freshmen and a junior college players starting. It is part of the process, I guess. At this time next year, I hope our bench will have five more waiting to come in, and just as good. It makes things a whole lot better.”
Carter scored her only points on a 3-pointer off a pass from James with two seconds left on the shot clock. James, who came into the game when May was called for her third foul at the 19:18 mark of the second half, drained another 3-pointer from the left wing when she was left too open when MSU swung the ball to her side.
In 14 minutes in the second half, James had two assists (three turnovers) and a steal.
“Katia played great in the first half, so I knew coming in I had to follow what she was doing and keep leading the team like she was doing,” James said. “I was pretty confident because the team was ready to go and get the win.
“I kind of think of it like, ‘I am a junior.’ It is not new to me. Coming in and playing, it is just play ball. It is not a thought process because I am not thinking. Like (Katia) said, you are in a zone and you just play.”
The answers kept coming. Chapel’s offensive rebound led to an assist to Alwal for a layup midway through the second half. Grant had a steal and then rebounded her miss for a putback. Chapel took a pass from James off the inbounds play out of the timeout to convert a layup. She later scored on a strong drive to the basket to punctuate her 12 second-half minutes in place of starter Breanna Richardson (13 points), who was saddled with four fouls.
“We can all score, and we all bring something different to the table,” Alwal said. “If one person goes down, we know someone else can come and replace them and not do better, but do as better as that person was doing.”
Grant provided another big shot down the stretch when she took a pass from May and nailed a 3-pointer to kick MSU’s lead to 71-61 with 3:23 to play. Georgia cut the lead to 71-65 before MSU responded with a good offensive set out of a timeout that resulted in a basket by Alwal off a pass from May.
“Savannah and Dominique (Dillingham) play hard all the time they are in, so I just wanted to come in and what they probably were doing wrong I wanted to get it right and what they were doing right I wanted to keep it going,” Grant said. “I just tried to come in do whatever I could to help the team.”
May added the dagger with 1:25 to go when she banked in a jump shot from the top of the key. The senior point guard had 12 points and four or her five steals in the first half. Her aggressive play in looking for her shot allowed MSU to set the tone.
“How they were playing defense, I was hoping, so I said if I was going to be that open I was going to shoot it,” May said. “I did (feel like I was in the zone). I ain’t going to lie to you. I knew I was going to have more 3-pointers than twos, so in warmup I was shooting a lot of threes from the spots I thought I was going to be open.”
Not only did May’s jump shot give fans a free combo meal at the Starkville Abner’s for MSU reaching 75 points, but it also helped MSU climb in the league standings. Tennessee’s 64-54 victory against Alabama left MSU, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and Missouri tied for eighth place at 3-6.
Erika Ford had a career-high 27 points on 10 of 19 shooting from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range to lead Georgia. But Georgia committed 13 of its 21 turnovers in the first half. Georgia closed the half on a 14-3 run by increasing its intensity on defense, getting out in transition for easy baskets, and taking the ball aggressively to the basket. The 21 turnovers marked the seventh time this season Georgia has had 21 or more.
Landers felt MSU’s execution and purpose in the first half played a big role. MSU shot 50 percent from the field (14 of 28) in the first 20 minutes, and finished at 51.9 percent (27 of 52). The percentage marked MSU’s first time shooting above 50 percent in a SEC game this season. It also was the highest field goal percentage allowed by Georgia, and its second-highest point total allowed. Tennessee beat Georgia 85-70 on Jan. 5, 2014, in Athens, Ga.
“Absolutely (the tone) was set at the four and five position in the first half,” Landers said. “It was set by two players doing what we had practiced against and not doing, so it was very disappointing.”
MSU also matched its season-high from 3-point range by going 6-of-9 from behind the arc. The 66.7-percent showing from distance was the team’s second-highest effort of the season to a 3-for-4 performance against Southeastern Louisiana. May and James each hit both of their treys, while Grant nailed hers.
“It was one of those days when we don’t identify who the shooters are and get to them before the shot goes off,” Landers said.
May said it best after the game when she said MSU “executed the game plan” on defense and communicated in a focused and “together” effort. That performance included a 7-for-15 showing from the field by Chapel, Grant, James, and Williams that helped MSU outscore Georgia 20-15 off the bench.
“Both of JJ’s threes were huge, KG makes a huge three when we are dying on the vine,” Schaefer said. “We went to Ketara a couple of times when we needed a bucket and she goes in there and gets a couple of big shots for us. Those kids all played very, very well.
“I like our poise. I like how we show a little toughness. At halftime, we have a couple of coaches who aren’t very happy. It is down to seven. Did I think Georgia was going to come in here and roll over? No. They were going to make a run. OK, they made a run and we kind of let them back in it. Most of it was off turnovers in the last four minutes. Once we got that stopped, we kind of got them stopped and then we got our lead back.”
MSU will play host to SEC leader and No. 7 South Carolina at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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