Mississippi State Women's Basketball Defeats Memphis, 81-63

The Mississippi State Bulldogs overcome a 12-turnover first half.

The Mississippi State women's basketball team came out with an 81-63 victory over the Memphis Tigers on Sunday, despite a turnover-filled first half.

Mississippi State won the first quarter 22-13, behind six points three rebounds and a block by forward Jessika Carter. Shooting wasn't an issue in the opening minutes, but on many of the Bulldogs' possessions, they forced a lot of risky plays and were often too quick, which resulted in six turnovers in the period. Fortunately for Mississippi State, Memphis also had trouble offensively, and the Bulldogs' defense tallied three steals and three blocks.

Mississippi State's defense was stout throughout the first half, as Memphis scored on just 10 of its 35 attempts from the field. The defense did struggle on the glass, as the Tigers logged 10 offensive rebounds, but Mississippi State continued to be aggressive on putback attempts.

The Bulldogs ended the first 20 minutes up 37-28 with a main offensive putout from Carter, Jerkaila Jordan and Erryn Barnum, who combined for 24 points. But the team's 12 turnovers compared to the Tigers' not-much-better nine kept it to a closer margin going into the locker rooms.

Both teams were more disciplined in the third quarter as they combined for five turnovers and scored 17 points apiece. That said, Mississippi State's defensive efforts kept the game at a nine-point 54-45 margin heading into the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs continued to lock down defensively in the fourth quarter, and a big scoring storm helped them pull away. Mississippi State tallied just six turnovers in the second half, and the nine-point fourth-quarter margin was indicative of that.

Carter was Mississippi State's best player in the two-way war, as she recorded 17 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. Jordan led the team in scoring though, as she added 21 points.