Record night leads Mississippi State over Colorado State
Credit: Mississippi State Athletics
Graduate student guard Lauren Park-Lane knocked down a program-record 10 threes and finished with 33 points in 35 minutes to lead Mississippi State women’s basketball to an 82-75 win over Colorado State inside Moby Arena on Wednesday.
In addition to 33 points – which marked her 13th career 30-point contest – Park-Lane dished out a team-high six assists and four rebounds in the effort. She converted on 10 of the Bulldogs’ season-high tying 14 threes made on the night.
Graduate student center Jessika Carter turned in 14 points on 6-10 from the field with eight rebounds in 30 minutes, while her frontcourt mate graduate student forward Erynn Barnum added nine points and a team-high 13 rebounds in 25 minutes. Senior guard Jerkaila Jordan filled the stat sheet with eight points, six assists and four rebounds in a team-high 37 minutes.
With the win, Mississippi State has won four straight contests and improves to 12-2 on the season.
Mississippi State hit four early shots from behind the arc to silence the home crowd and secure a 16-5 lead at the 5:16 mark of the first quarter. Colorado State responded with a 9-0 run to cut the margin back to one possession at 16-14 at the first-quarter media timeout.
In the first set out of the timeout, senior guard Jerkaila Jordan drained the fifth three of the frame before freshman guard Miracle Sheppard knocked down a mid-range shot to give Mississippi State a 21-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Each team continued to trade baskets throughout the initial minutes of the second frame before back-to-back jumpers from senior guard Darrione Rogers moved the margin to 28-21 with 6:28 left before the half.
After Park-Lane converted on her fourth three of the first half to secure a 37-26 edge with a 1:06 minute left before half, Colorado State beat the buzzer with a finish inside to command the halftime lead at 38-37. The four threes in the first half already surpassed a season-best total for Park-Lane.
It marked the first time that Mississippi State has trailed at half this season. After erasing the halftime deficit, Mississippi State has now won its second game when trailing at half under head coach Sam Purcell after entering the contest 1-10 in the mark.
A buzzer-beating three from Colorado State’s Kendyll Kinzer capped off a 26-19 third quarter for the Rams and put the home team in front 64-56 entering the final 10 minutes.
Facing its largest deficit of the season, Mississippi State never blinked in the midst of a rowdy road environment and responded once more with a 12-4 run out of the break to tie the game at 68 all with 5:44 left in regulation.
Mississippi State was the first SEC team that Colorado State has hosted inside Moody Center in program history.
A three from sophomore guard Debreasha Powe provided Mississippi State with a 74-71 lead and marked the first lead for the Bulldogs since the 1:09 mark of the second quarter. Mississippi State never relinquished the lead and outlasted its hosts to the eventual final.
Mississippi State outrebounded Colorado State 43-27 on the night, including 11-1 on the offensive glass. The Bulldogs also recorded 20-plus assists for the fifth time this season and the 11th time under Purcell – the Bulldogs are 4-1 this season and 10-1 overall when reaching the mark.
