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Mississippi
St.
rallies to beat No.
22 Maryland AMES, IOWA (11/21/01) - LaToya Thomas had 29 points and 15 rebounds and Mississippi State rallied from 11 down in the final six minutes to beat No. 22 Maryland 71-61 on Wednesday night in the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge.
Mississippi State (3-0) flustered Maryland with a full-court press and went on a 28-4 run after the Terrapins (2-1) built a 51-40 lead with 6:48 remaining. Thomas, a preseason All-America, scored 12 points during that stretch and Renea Jones had seven while keying the Lady Bulldogs' defensive pressure. "I never thought we would lose," said Thomas. "Even when we were down by 11 with six minutes to go, I knew we could win. I talked to the team and tried to keep them up. We just kept pushing." Jones hit a three-pointer, a baseline jumper and two free throws and made a steal as Mississippi State ran off 12 straight points to take a 56-53 lead. Maryland drew to 56-55 on Deedee Warley's basket with 2:16 remaining, but Mississippi State answered quickly. Thomas converted a three-point play after posting up and went on to score the next six points as the Lady Bulldogs pulled away, opening a 68-55 lead with less than a minute to play. Freshman Tan White scored 15 points for Mississippi State, Jennifer Fambrough had 14 and Jones 13. "I am pleased with the win and the effort down the stretch," said Lady Bulldogs head coach Sharon Fanning. "But we still have a lot to learn. This is getting us ready for playing in the Southeastern Conference, definitely, but we still have to take it one game and maybe even one half at a time." Kiki Wimbush led Maryland with 15 points and Marche Strickland scored 11. The Terrapins finished with 22 turnovers and shot 38 percent. Maryland showed great balance after taking a 28-27 halftime lead. A different player scored each of the Terrapins' first six baskets in the second half as they opened a 44-36 lead. Strickland's three-pointer boosted the lead to 49-38 and Rosita Melbourne sank two free throws to make it 51-40. The Lady Bulldogs play the winner of the Iowa State/DePaul contest in the championship game Friday, Nov. 23, at 3 p.m. CST on ESPN. |
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