Danberry defense, scoring of Vivians help MSU victory
No. 4 Mississippi State was in a whale of trouble after the first quarter of Sunday afternoon’s Southeastern Conference women’s basketball game against Alabama.
The Crimson Tide roared out to a 20-16 lead against the Bulldogs after one quarter and senior Hannah Cook was making noise with 10 early points.
MSU head coach Vic Schaefer made a change in the lineup by putting in Jordan Danberry. While the stats didn’t indicate her impact, Danberry shifted the course of the game.
The Arkansas transfer spearheaded a huge run by the Bulldogs to overcome an early sixpoint deficit and rolled Alabama with a 75-61 victory.
“I knew that he wanted us to pressure the ball and get in the passing lane,” Danberry said. “I tried my best to get in my stance and do what he asked. I feel like I brought a lot of energy to the game.”
Victoria Vivians was the catalyst in the Bulldogs’ offensive resurgence. The senior AllSEC guard finished with her ninth 20-point game of the season scoring 21.
The win came in front of a large contingent of MSU fans as 9,010 packed into Humphrey Coliseum. It was the third-largest crowd in the history of the program.
After falling down by six points, the defense helped get them going.
A 14-2 run by the Tide flipped quickly as the Bulldogs went on a 20-2 run of their own. They held Cook scoreless during Danberry’s turn on her. The 15 turnovers in the half paved the way for a 44-29 advantage at halftime and Vivians was getting hot hitting four-straight shots after a 1-for-7 start to the game.
MSU outscored Alabama 28-9 in the second quarter.
“I thought our second quarter was very special,” coach Schaefer said. “Jazz (Holmes) and Jordan came in during that second quarter and made a difference. They impacted the game.”
MSU took its lead out to 22 in the third
| Page 10