Georgia women fall to Mississippi State
ATHENS, Ga. — Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer walked out of Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum with a win Sunday — and for the first time in 21 years of trying.
No. 5 Mississippi State scored 26 points and got 13 rebounds from 6-foot-7 center Teaira McCowan to beat Georgia 86-62 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. The visitors remained undefeated 15 games into the season.
“I have never won here,” said Schaefer, speaking of his time as an assistant coach and as a head coach. “It is good to finally walk off with a victory.”
It was Mississippi State’s first win in Athens since a 72-71 squeaker in 2002.
Victoria Vivians scored 20 for Mississippi State, while Roshunda Johnson added 16.
Georgia (12-2) got 13 points from Caliya Robinson and 10 apiece from Haley Clark and MacKenzie Engram.
Schaefer and Georgia coach Joni Taylor agreed Mississippi State’s inside-outside balance was formidable.
“With our shooters, we make it hard to guard us,” Schaefer said. “We got a lot of good looks today.”
Two seasons ago, Georgia held Mississippi State to 43 point. Last season, Mississippi State won 58-49 despite trailing with nine minutes to play.
“They are much better offensively,” Taylor explained. “If you play them man, they go inside. If you zone, they stretch you. We did not mix up our defense well enough.”
McCowan scored nine of Mississippi State’s 16 points in the first quarter when not much else was going right. She gathered in 12 of her 13 rebounds in the first half.
Mississippi State came in accustomed to a fast start, averaging a 25-13 first-quarter spread. But it was Georgia that bolted out of the gate, scoring the first two baskets in less than a minute and prompting Schaefer to call a timeout.
“After that timeout, until the last five minutes, we played special today,” Schaefer said. “We have been practicing against a six-man zone to make the extra pass, and we did today.”
Mississippi State managed a 16-14 lead at the quarter break, thanks to nine points by McCowan. Mississippi State took over in the second quarter and led 33-19 with 3:50 to go in the half. A pair of 3-pointers by Blair Schaefer and Vivians’ mid-range game sparked the surge.
McCowan had a firsthalf double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds as Mississippi State led 37-27 at the half. She has seven straight doubledouble games.
In the second half, McCowan kept scoring inside and Johnson sank three 3-pointers, putting Mississippi State on top 61-35 with 2:11 to go in the third quarter.
Georgia never mounted a serious threat down the stretch.
Schaefer was delighted with the contingent of spectators who cheered for his team in Athens.
“We had a tremendous fan base here today,” he said. “That is what building a program is all about, people traveling with you. I was thrilled with the fans who made the drive up from Jacksonville (Fla.) after our football team’s great win (in the Tax Slayer Bowl). That was special for us to walk out for warmups and have those people cheering for us.”