McCowan Dominates, #5 MSU Stays Perfect At LSU

BATON ROUGE, La. (WCBI/MSU Athletics) – A 12-0 run to end the first half helped lift the No. 5/3 Mississippi State women’s basketball team to an 83-70 victory over LSU in Southeastern Conference women’s basketball action Sunday afternoon at Maravich Assembly Center.

The Bulldogs improved to 17-0 for the third time in four seasons. MSU and Tennessee are the lone teams with 3-0 records in conference play and undefeated records on the season. LSU fell to 10-4 and 2-1. The Bulldogs have gone to 3-0 on the strength of a pair of road wins at both Georgia and LSU, as well as a home win over Arkansas.

MSU won its second-straight contest in Baton Rouge, while winning for a third-time ever at LSU. The Bulldogs have taken four straight from the Tigers for the first time.

LSU saw an eight-game winning streak snapped.

“That was one heck of a basketball game,” MSU head coach Vic Schaefer said. “LSU played really well. We were down 17-10 and I like how we responded coming out of a timeout. We got two 3-pointers and led at the end of the quarter. Our execution at the end of the half was outstanding.

“LSU would not go away in the second half. I was proud at how hard we fought and kept competing. We closed it out well.”

Teaira McCowan collected her 12th double-double with 31 points and 20 rebounds. It was her second 31/20 performance with the rebounding total matching a career-high for rebounds, also achieved against Louisiana. Morgan William added 13 points, while Roshunda Johnson and Chloe Bibby each added 10 points.

Victoria Vivians only played 18 minutes due to heavy foul trouble and finished with four points – her first game not in double figures this season. Johnson had five assists, while William had four assists.

LSU started strong on the offensive end, making six of its first eight shots. The Tigers ran the lead to 17-10 with 4:29 left in the first quarter. A jumper by Johnson eventually gave the Bulldogs a 21-19 lead.

A layup by Bibby gave the Bulldogs a 23-22 lead at the end of the quarter. MSU continued to look for some separation on the defensive end and eventually found it late in the second quarter.

LSU held a 31-28 lead and later held its last lead 35-34. The Tigers were held the final 3:59 of the first half without a point. A 3-pointer by William helped spark the 12-0 run, while Blair Schaefer was fouled on a 3-point attempt and hit all three free throws for a 44-35 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Bulldogs extended the run to 17-0 by scoring the first five points of the third quarter. The lead would stretch to 17 on three different occasions later in the third quarter.

For the contest, MSU hit 29 of 60 shots from the field (48.3 percent), 8 of 17 shots from 3-point range (47.1 percent) and 17 of 25 shots from the foul line (68.0 percent). LSU hit 29 of 65 shots from the field (44.6 percent), 4 of 15 shots from 3-point range (26.7 percent) and 8 of 15 shots from the foul line (53.3 percent).

MSU held a 40-34 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 14 assists and 13 turnovers, while the Tigers had seven assists and 11 turnovers.

LSU received 25 points from Chloe Jackson, 20 points from Raigyne Louis and 17 points from Ayana Mitchell. Mitchell finished with a double-double as she had a team-high 11 rebounds.

MSU returns to the Humphrey Coliseum for a Thursday night showdown with in-state rival Ole Miss. The Bulldogs and Rebels play at 8 p.m. on the SEC Network.