Lauren Park-Lane Leads Mississippi State Women's Basketball Over Colorado State, 82-75
The Mississippi State women's basketball team escaped Colorado State 82-75 on Wednesday night. This game featured a lot of runs by both sides, but Bulldogs guard Lauren Park-Lane was a force to be reckoned with throughout, as she tallied a career-high 33 points, including a Mississippi State record 10 threes.
It's all but certain that every opposing coach has preached to their team that they need to a have fast start against a talented 11-2 Mississippi State women's basketball group if they want to increase their slim chances of winning. However, opponents of 9-1 Colorado State likely have given the same message.
Mississippi State won the fast-start battle, as the Bulldogs converted on four field goal attempts before the Rams even made one. But the reasons why Colorado State had only one loss going into Wednesday night were evident, as they quickly came back to finish the first quarter down just two points.
Instead of trading runs, the second quarter was much more of a back-and-forth 10 minutes. That said, both teams had different play styles. Mississippi State shot more from behind the arc, while Colorado State stayed around the paint and midrange areas.
The Rams capitalized a bit more on the higher percentage shots, as they ended the half shooting 53 percent compared to the Bulldogs' 41. Colorado State took its first lead of the game when it became 36-34, and then 38-37 at the buzzer.
Guard Lauren Park-Lane, who typically is near the top in the assists category, led Mississippi State in scoring at halftime with 12 points. Guard Jerkaila Jordan, who typically is near the top in the points category, led the Bulldogs with four assists at the break.
Colorado State guard McKenna Hofschild made a big impact in the first half, as she scored 12 points. She was absolutely dominant in the third quarter for the Rams, as she scored 11 in the period. Additionally, Hofschild increased her night assists total to eight, which also helped them win the quarter 26-19 (64-55 overall).
Both teams somewhat switched roles to start the fourth quarter, as Mississippi State went on a 12-4 run. Jordan grabbed her own missed shot and hit a jumper to tie it at 68. The run would take a halt when Colorado State guard Kendyll Kinzer hit her fourth three-pointer of the night, but Park-Lane continued her dominance with a three of her own and Debreasha Powe did the same to take a 74-71 lead with three minutes remaining.
With the run back up and, well running, Park-Lane and company hit a couple of daggers to win the quarter 26-11 and Mississippi State escaped 82-75.
