MSU continues string of games at home against Missouri
Nikki Mccray-penson made it clear that the one thing that could really help her team continue to improve in the midst of a losing streak was playing a string of games.
From January 14 to February 21, the Bulldogs played just five games and they lost all of them. Only two of those games were played during the same week as MSU went through a stretch of postponements and ultimate cancellations from teams. The Bulldogs since have been able to play three games in five days and it resulted in improvement each game which included back-to-back wins against Auburn and LSU recently.
The wins seem to have MSU in a solid state heading into postseason as they appear to be firmly in the NCAA Tournament. While it’s been a challenging year and the team is just 10-7 and 5-6 in Southeastern Conference play, it’s a step in the right direction from the last month.
“We’re just happy to be playing games,” Mccray-penson said. “The goal is to win the national championship, but I’m just happy that we’ve had three games and there hasn’t been any cancellations.
Our kids are starting to get in a rhythm and they’re starting to learn how to win in those situations. The more games we play, the more we’ll get better and put ourselves in position to be in the tournament and win games.”
There are still issues that the team is trying to work through in year one under Mccraypenson. First and foremost, the first half of play hasn’t been good for the Bulldogs in the last six contests. MSU has had to play catch up each game and it wasn’t until earlier this week against Auburn that it put it together enough in the second half to grab the win.
After trailing by as much as 10 points in the first half, the Bulldogs came back and held Auburn to eight points in the third quarter and ultimately won that game by 13 points. It was nearly identical against LSU as MSU ended the first half badly, trailed by 10 early in the quarter and outscored the Tigers 25-8 to take a lead it wouldn’t lose in a 68-59 victory on the road.
“I think the third quarter defense has really been good,” Mccray-penson said. “The second half we came and sped up Auburn. We went with a smaller lineup to get some energy on that end and I thought it played dividends. In the
LSU game, we came out and defended and held them to eight points. It’s the defense that made the difference and our ability to take care of the basketball.”
Not many felt that the Bulldogs would be hovering around the bubble after fighting for a conference title and a No. 1 seed the last three or four years, but it hasn’t been a normal year under the first year coach, either.
All the team and coach can do is hit the reset button and take things day by day and the last week has been a good start. That positive momentum can continue today as MSU will host senior day against Missouri at 3 p.m. at the Humphrey Coliseum on SEC Network. Seniors Caterrion Thompson and Yemiyah Morris will be honored, but the players that have been making the biggest impact still have eligibility left beyond 2021.
Rickea Jackson leads MSU with 15.5 points a game and averages 4.8 rebounds while Jessika Carter is averaging 14.8 points and 9.1 rebounds. Aliyah Matharu might be playing as well as anyone on the team since the Arkansas game with four-straight games in double figures including 19 against LSU on Thursday. Myah Taylor has also been a spark with her 9.8 points and 4.4 assists a game.
There’s potential for everyone to play a part in the Bulldogs’ success, but Matharu says it’s all about the team coming together as one, something that has happened in the last couple of weeks.
“Our whole team has a lot of confidence,” Matharu said. “It’s always anybody’s night and you never know who’s going to step up. The more we realize we’re capable of doing great things and that we play together, the better we’ll be.”