WOMENS BASKETBALL

Mississippi State 77, Louisiana State 73

ROBBIE FAULK
ASSOCIATED PRESS

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Reserves Darrione Rogers scored 19 points and Mjracle Sheppard and added 12 as Mississippi State used a strong defensive effort in the third quarter to beat No. 9 LSU 77-73.

The loss was the second straight for LSU, which fell to top-ranked South Carolina 76-70 on Thursday. It was the third loss in five games for the Tigers (18-4, 5-3 SEC).

Jerkaila Jordan scored 15 of her 24 points in the second half for Mississippi State (17-5, 4-3).

Sheppard, who held LSU All-American guard Hailey Van Lith to four points, added six steals, five assists and four rebounds. Rogers shot 6 for 10 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and hit three key free throws in the final 30 seconds.

Angel Reese had 20 points and 18 rebounds for LSU. Flau’jae Johnson finished with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, Aneesha Morrow scored 14 points and Mikayla Williams 11.

Rogers hit a 3-pointer with about a minute left in the game to end a nearly six-minute scoring drought for Mississippi State, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to six point and helping to seal the win.

Mississippi State had trailed by two points, 40-38, entering the second half before seizing control in the third period. LSU missed its last nine shots in the third and the Bulldogs used a 28-point outburst to take a 63-57 lead with one quarter remaining.

The Bulldogs extended their lead to nine points with about five minutes remaining. LSU closed within three points before Rogers hit a 3-pointer provide a bit of breathing room.

BIG PICTURE

LSU: The Tigers lost 67-62 to Auburn on Jan. 14, then won two games before falling to No. 1 South Carolina last week. LSU was out-toughed by the Bulldogs in a loss that could be a hit to its tournament seeding.

Mississippi State: After dropping two winnable games at home in SEC play against Vanderbilt and Tennessee, the Bulldogs got an important victory that could push them up the NCAA Tournament list.

Mississippi State athletics press release

January 29, 2024