Mississippi State women's basketball couldn't stop the flow—and considering how five players performed for more than 33 minutes, it wasn't entirely shocking.
The Bulldogs have fought intensely throughout the season. But this week could prove to be the toughest with four matches in the span of seven days. She passed the first test on Sunday by defeating Ole Miss. But in a quick turnaround against Kentucky on Tuesday at Lexington's Memorial Coliseum, reliance on six players came on hold for most of the minute.
Mississippi State took a 15-point lead with seven minutes to go. And then the Wildcats ran for 16 straight points before Anastasia Hayes ended that run. It began only one more scoring run, ending with an 81–74 Kentucky victory courtesy of a last-dash sprint to the finish line, which wore shorthanded bulldogs.
"It's a big concern to be honest with you," interim coach Doug Novak said. "It probably took us out of the stretch a little bit. I thought our feet were great. I thought we managed it a little bit. But for the first time, they were a little quicker than us with the ball. And I wish I had There would have been another answer, and I don't want to rely on it, 'Yeah, we were tired,' because that's the easy way. But the answer is probably yes."
Kentucky ran 24–2 in seven minutes in the fourth quarter, making turnovers with the press taking away the momentum from Mississippi State, suppressing an offense that had shot down lights in the opening two quarters.
With LSU on Thursday and Missouri on Sunday, the challenges aren't over for Mississippi State—good form is needed to close out the season in order to consolidate a bubble spot in the NCAA Tournament arena.
Run game
Jerkela Jordan momentarily dropped her hand as she headed down the court, her corner 3-pointer finding her way down the net. That shot - one of Jordan's four triples - expanded to 16 unanswered points for Mississippi State in the second quarter.
After two quarters, however, after the game was in hand for the Bulldogs, Drewanna Edwards turned to lead 16–0, giving Kentucky the first lead after the second quarter.
Edwards scored 15 second-half points as part of his team-high 23.
"He's got a big, strong body, has the ability to make some shots around the rim and get us into some trouble," Novak said.
Extended asset
Kentucky finished with 24 offensive rebounds and 21 second-chance points.
To end a possession, one sometimes has to go diving for a loose ball - or even a lucky break, a deflection out of bounds. They didn't go the Bulldog's way in the fourth quarter, and it allowed a 24-2 run to the balloon.
"Maybe we were half a second slower to get to the ball," Novak said. "Maybe they were a few inches tall to grab some rebounds. But we didn't make the necessary plays to finish the property."
Foul trouble
With seven players available, Novak has no choice but to keep the players on the court despite the foul. This prompted Charlotte Kohl to foul out against Ole Miss, leaving Mississippi State without a post appearance for the final eight minutes of that win.
Guard Maia Taylor fouled late against Kentucky, and Kohl and Hayes had four fouls each. Hayes found herself on the bench to start the Wildcats' run, and by the time she returned to score her 21st and final point, the game was out of reach.
"The goal of every game is to finish it with five [players] and then we go from there," Novak said.