Carter, Jackson of MSU leads USA to a 93-85 win over Chinese Taipei

NAPLES, Italy – With a combined 61 points and 29 rebounds, the duo of Jessika Carter and Rickea Jackson was unstoppable as the United Statees defeated Chinese Taipei 93-85 to remain perfect in pool play at the World University Games.

“Chinese Taipei is so good and well coached,” Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer said. “Their toughness really stood out to me yesterday when I was scouting them. They have a competitive spirit and are physical. To see our kids compete in battle today, we grew up a little bit. We showed maturity. I’m extremely proud of our kids. Jessika was so good today. Rickea was really special offensively. They couldn’t guard her. Jazzmun Holmes ran our team to perfection just like she has her whole career. I’m proud of our kids, but it’s just one game. We have a chance to go win our pool tomorrow against a really good Slovakia team.”

Jackson led all scorers with 33 points on 16-of-25 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and four steals. Carter dominated the paint all game long, finishing with 28 points and 22 rebounds.

The two players scored 30 of USA Team’s 47 points in the second half and were a big reason why the Red, White and Blue held a 66-40 edge in the paint for the game.

The U.S. knew that one of the keys to winning would be crashing the boards, and it succeeded in that area, outrebounding Chinese Taipei 50-29 on the glass. While the Red, White and Blue shot 51 percent from the field for the game, it was the secondchance opportunities from an incredible 25 offensive rebounds that made the difference in the outcome.

Holmes and Xaria Wiggins recoded 10 points each to round out the double-digit scorers for the squad. Holmes also had eight assists and was crucial in the offense’s success during the second half, while Wiggins just missed a doubledouble with nine rebounds.

Chinese Taipei gained the early edge in the first quarter, using an 8-0 run to take a 2214 lead at the break.

Carter got things started on the offensive end of the floor for the Red, White and Blue in the second period. The sophomore center went 6-for-7 from the floor and dropped 14 points, helping USA cut it to a one-point deficit at halftime 47-46. Jackson added nine points in the frame.