STARKVILLE — Mississippi State’s pressure was apparent from the outset.
A 20-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and the Bulldogs up 39-18 at halftime said everything you needed to know about their first-round WBIT game.
No. 2 seed MSU defeated No. 7 Georgia Tech 84-47 at Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday night to advance to Sunday’s second-round game against No. 3 seed TCU, which beat North Texas.
A near first-half double-double for Jessika Carter, Darrione Rogers, and Jasmine Brown-Hagger seemed as if they couldn’t miss a shot and a Bulldog defense forcing Georgia Tech (17-16) to shoot 29% from the floor. The pieces were all there and then some.
Here’s a look at how Mississippi State (22-11) advanced in the WBIT.
Offense started red-hot in first half
MSU began the game up 11-0, and they didn’t look back — persistent offensive pressure from Carter and Rogers, who combined for 19 at halftime. Rogers was 3 for 4 from 3-point and 4 for 6 from the field. At the same time, Carter looked like she came down with every rebound, netting eight points with seven rebounds.
Defense locks up
Georgia Tech’s first basket came with 4:13 remaining in the first quarter from a layup by Tonie Morgan when they were already down 11 points. However, it wasn’t a fluke that the Yellowjackets were missing — MSU’s defense didn’t give any good looks.
Constant press, getting back on fast breaks, contested layups in the paint, and fast switches while playing man-to-man led to Georgia Tech being unable even to get open. MSU held Tech to 47, the lowest number of points it had held a team since Dec. 29 against Mississippi Valley State when MSU gave up 35.
Jasmine Brown-Hagger’s huge performance
Brown-Hagger entered Thursday’s game scoring double digits in one game this season on Dec. 29 against Mississippi Valley State and is averaging 1.7 points this season. Tonight, she finished with 17 and helped advance MSU to the second round of the WBIT Tournament.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS:NCAA tournament brackets, scores, schedules, teams and more.
Lauren Park-Lane assist record
Lauren Park-Lane entered Thursday’s game with 197 assists this season. She ended the game with 6, marking Park-Lane as the new single-season assists record holder. Jazzum Holmes’ old record of 202, which was set during the 2018-19 season is now broken.
What’s next?
After advancing to the second round, MSU will face the winner of No. 3 TCU and No. 6 North Texas on March 24 here in Starkville.
Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion-Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
