STARKVILLE – Mississippi State women’s basketball got back into the win column on Thursday with a 85-71 victory over Georgia at home. Senior Destiney McPhaul returned to scoring form with 18 points to lead the statsheet for MSU, followed closely by classmate Kharyssa Richardson and freshman Madison Francis on 17 each.
The Bulldogs led after one quarter thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Destiney McPhaul. The senior came off the bench with freshman Jaylah Lampley inserted into the starting lineup, but quickly found her shot to give her team a boost in her first taste of action.
Trayanna Crisp was back to her best as a sharpshooter in the first half too, shooting 3-3 from beyond the arc to lead the team with 11 points at the break. Madison Francis was close behind with nine points on 4-5 shooting, finding ways into the paint and hitting from mid-range.
The Bulldogs led 43-36 at halftime, and had to stave off a strong start to the third quarter by UGA, but a 12-0 run saw them restore a sizeable advantage. Kharyssa Richardson and Favour Nwaedozi both made tough shots through contact, and the game started to get a bit chippy.
Madison Francis and Trinity Turner were called for double technicals after bumping shoulders and exchanging a few words with each other. Though Georgia started the quarter on a 6-0 run, it was the home Bulldogs who appeared to take inspiration from the rising temperature of the game. The lead expanded to 61-48 going into the fourth quarter and continued at a steady pace going into the final minutes.
The win ends a two-game losing streak for the Bulldogs and has them heading back out on the road on a positive note. They’ll face Arkansas in Fayetteville on Monday at 6:30 p.m. and return home the following Thursday for a date with Florida at Humphrey Coliseum.
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