Johnson scores career-high for Bulldogs in home victory
There may have been some critical size and experience lost from last season’s Final Four team for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but they’re making it work.
The first three basketball games have seen the Bulldogs come out with a four-guard lineup that has given teams fits on the perimeter and it affected the Southern Miss Lady Eagles on Sunday.
“The four-guard lineup is evolving and I think it’s here to stay,” MSU head coach Vic Schaefer said. “When we make shots the way we did, it’s not only fun to watch, but it’s fun to coach. I can’t say that I’ve ever coached a team that shot the ball as well as they have.”
Thanks to a career-high 29 points from Roshunda Johnson, the seventh-ranked Bulldogs rolled to a 3-0 start with a 91-56 blowout win over the Lady Eagles in front of 5,321 fans.
The Bulldogs also got a double-double from Teaira McCowan with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Victoria Vivians had 16 points and Blair Schaefer finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Johnson made 11-of-20 shots from the field, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range. She also had two steals defensively.
“I’ve still got a lot to work on, but coach told me that I had to have a good defensive ball game,” Johnson said. “I felt like my defense led to my offense.”
Mississippi State played well on both ends of the floor as it took control of the game in the first quarter with a 31-8 advantage. The Bulldogs were outscored in the second quarter but still had a comfortable 48-26 halftime lead.
“I thought in that first quarter that they could win a national championship,” Southern Miss coach Joye Lee-McNelis said. “They shot the cover off of the ball. If you can shoot it the way
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