Five Themes From Mississippi State's 69-57 Win Over Ole Miss

After starting league play with two losses, the women's basketball team is back to .500 in the SEC.

A great fourth quarter and another excellent performance by Graduate Senior Jessika leads the Bulldogs to their second straight SEC victory. With this win, MSU improves to 15-4 overall and 2-2 in SEC play. 

Here are five themes from the Bulldog's win:

Rivalry

Every SEC game is important, but there is always extra juice for a rivalry game, especially after the Bulldogs dropped both games to the Rebels last year.

Last year was the first time since 2004 that the Bulldogs did not get a win against their in-state rival, and the intensity of the crowd and the team reflected that. Over 7,000 people were inside Humphrey Coliseum, and they made a difference in the fourth quarter. 

Timely Defense

MSU played solid defense throughout the game as they allowed 57 points, the lowest amount in SEC play. The Rebels also did a nice job defensively by holding the Bulldog's leading scorer, Jerkaila Jordan, to eight points.

The Bulldogs gave up ten threes to Arkansas on Thursday, and MSU responded by only allowing two today and holding the Rebels to just 39% shooting in the game. However, the Bulldog defense saved their best for last as they allowed zero points in the final 5:52 of the game. 

Points In The Paint

MSU dominated in the paint today as the Bulldogs scored 40 of their 69 points from the post. Bulldog center Jessika Carter carried most of the load in the paint, but MSU guards were also routinely driving and getting good looks inside.

Lauren Park-Lane had 13 points and was the main Bulldog guard, taking advantage of open looks around the basket. 

4th Quarter

It was a tight game in the first three quarters, and the Bulldogs trailed by two with 9:31 remaining. It is cliche to say a game is decided in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs did just that.

MSU went on a 13-2 run in the last 7:11 game, which proved to be the difference. The Bulldogs played perhaps the best quarter of their season to this point, and it simply overwhelmed the Rebels.

The Bulldogs outscored the Rebels 20-6 in the fourth.

Dominant Performance

When Jessika Carter decided to return for her fifth season at MSU, fans were overjoyed. Carter has been a force in the paint during her time at MSU, but the 6'5 center left fans wanting more after the first pair of SEC games.

Carter only scored a combined 14 points in the Bulldogs losses to South Carolina and Vanderbilt, but Carter responded with a dominant 22-point 19 rebound performance. Carter built off that today as she scored 23 points and had three big offensive rebounds.

Mississippi State Defeats Ole Miss 69-57