STARKVILLE, Miss. — Vanderbilt was outlasted down the stretch by Mississippi State on Sunday, falling 70-63 inside Humphrey Coliseum.
The Commodores (10-6, 1-1 SEC) contested the Bulldogs (11-4, 2-1 SEC) all game long entering halftime only down 28-27.
With 29 seconds having ticked off the clock in the opening quarter, the first field goal of the game came by way of Bella LaChance inside the paint. From there Vandy controlled the pace in the opening stanza, receiving scoring contributions from all seven players who played.
In the following period, Mississippi State rallied to keep Vanderbilt off the free throw line while going 5-for-5 from the charity stripe itself. With 27 seconds remaining in the first half, a jump shot from Sacha Washington brought the visitors within one.
Coming out of the break the Commodores’ adjustments paid off concluding the period ahead of the Bulldogs 46-45. The offensive surged paced by nine points from Iyana Moore.
Mississippi State tied the game at 52-all on a made 3-pointer from Caterrion Thompson, the beginning of a 14-point spread to distance it from Vanderbilt. The Commodores continued to battle down the stretch despite the deficit, cutting the Bulldog lead to just five points on a 3-pointer from Moore.
In a game riddled with runs by both teams, before the final buzzer sounded the game had been tied six times with seven lead changes.
The duo of Washington and Moore scored 34 points combined. Moore led the way for the Commodores with 20 points. Washington’s third career double-double was highlighted by 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Mississippi State ended the game with several scoring in double figures. Anastasia Hayes led all scorers on the afternoon with 31 points.
Vanderbilt returns to Memorial Gymnasium to host Tennessee at 8 p.m. Thursday.
