No. 10 Mississippi State beats Tulane 66-49
BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi State earned its third win of the season, even if this one won't be remembered for its beauty.
Victoria Vivians scored 17 points, Breanna Richardson added 11 and the 10th-ranked Bulldogs beat Tulane 66-49 on Wednesday night at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
Both teams struggled to score points early, but when the Bulldogs (3-0) began to find their shot in the second quarter, Tulane (1-1) stayed cold.
The Green Wave went scoreless in the final 4:36 of the second quarter, which helped Mississippi State take a 36-16 advantage into halftime.
Tulane's best chance at mounting an upset bridged the third and fourth quarters thanks to a 10-0 run. The rally was aided by consecutive 3-pointers from Leslie Vorpahl, bringing the Green Wave within 47-35. Mississippi State responded with its own small run, however, to squash the comeback attempt.
Tulane's late run — coupled with the Bulldogs shooting just 36.1 percent from the field — frustrated MSU coach Vic Schaefer.
"I didn't think we had some kids who came out in the second half and were ready to play. I think if you're going to be who everybody says we are, if we're going to be a top 10 team, then you come out and win (the second half) by 20 again," Schaefer said. "You don't come out and stink it up and play dead even with them in the second half."
Vorpahl carried the Green Wave. The senior guard scored 20 points on 9 of 11 shooting from the floor.
"She came in and really competed and did a good job of running the team and also looking for her shot," Tulane coach Lisa Stockton said.
Harlyn Wyatt added 10 points for Tulane.
Mississippi State has won four straight over the Green Wave.
HOME SWEET HOME
Mississippi State freshman Ameshya Williams and sophomore Jazzmun Holmes played in front of their hometown fans for the first time as college athletes. Both graduated from nearby high schools and saw time off the bench. Williams scored four points with three rebounds in the final five minutes of the game. Holmes finished with two rebounds, two assists and one steal in 14 minutes.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Mississippi State grabbed 24 offensive rebounds and finished with 26 second-chance points, dwarfing Tulane's seven second-chance points.
"Our defense, even in the first half, I don't think was bad," Stockton said. "They were shooting 30-something percent, but it was the offensive rebounds that were keeping them in it."
COOLING OFF
Mississippi State entered Wednesday night's game shooting 57.7 percent from 3-point range. The Wave held the Bulldogs to just 23.5 percent on 4 of 17 shooting.
BIG PICTURE
Mississippi State: Fresh off of dominant wins against Villanova and Maine in their first two games of the season, the Bulldogs continued to show why they're a top 10 team.
Tulane: After a convincing showing in a 79-56 season-opening win against Grambling on Nov. 12, the Green Wave suffered their first setback of the season.
UP NEXT
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have a big test awaiting them at 5 p.m. Sunday when they host No. 8 Texas (1-1) in Starkville.
Tulane: The Green Wave travel to face Southern Miss on Sunday.