STARKVILLE – Mississippi State women’s basketball dropped its second straight in SEC play, falling at home 90-80 against No. 20 Tennessee at Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday.
Kharyssa Richardson and Madison Francis led MSU with 22 points each, and fuelled a second-half comeback attempt that fell short in the final minutes.
The Bulldogs, now 14-3 on the season, came out of the gate ready to play offensively, but could do little against the Vols on the defensive end. Three Tennessee players recorded double-digit points by the halftime break, led by Mia Pauldo’s 14.
MSU’s joint leading scorer Richardson got the start for the Bulldogs with Chandler Prater out, and did her part to keep MSU alive by scoring 12 points in the first half, but the Vols held a 47-37 halftime advantage.
The Bulldogs had a surge in the second half, starting late third quarter and rolling over into the fourth, and the deficit shrank to five points after trailing as much as 18. Still, the Vols continued to find answers, and they snuffed out the comeback attempt by switching on offensively again. The Bulldogs kept fighing to the end, but the contest was all but decided going into the final minutes.
The Bulldogs will go again in Oxford against Ole Miss on Sunday.
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