History has been made over the last few years at Humphrey Coliseum by the Mississippi State seniors and they were playing their last game inside the arena on Sunday night.
Teaira McCowan and Jazzmun Holmes especially have been right at the forefront of those history-making moments and they had the chance for more against Clemson in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Two other seniors, Jordan Danberry and Anriel Howard, were right at the forefront with them again as they have been all year, while the fifth senior Zion Campbell, has contributed at times off the bench.
In front of another sold-out crowd at the Hump, the Bulldogs dominated the defensive end of the court against the Tigers and it led to offense as they didn’t sweat the second round game and earned the program’s fourth-straight trip to the NCAA’s Sweet 16 with an 85-61 victory.
For Holmes and McCowan, it was win number 131 in their illustrious careers that is a school record growing by each game. They also enjoyed hosting the first two rounds of the tournament each year on campus and advancing to the Sweet 16 every season.
“This is a special group. We’ve said that now for three years. This is the one that’s now going to set the record again,” head coach Vic Schaefer said. “I want it so bad for them because I know how hard it is.”
As has been the issue for teams all season long, McCowan and Howard were the dynamic duo that the Tigers had no answer for all game.
Each collected another double-double in their careers. It was the 68th of McCowan’s career and 29th this season and the 45th for Howard in her career and 12th as a Bulldog. McCowan had her second 30-point game of the season with 30 points on 14-of-17 shooting, 11 rebounds, six blocks and two steals.
“This is the time of year that (McCowan) gets locked in,” Schaefer said. “I saw that she was left off of the Naismith Finalist list and that’s fine. Get her mad. That’s fine with me. There might not be a player that’s impacted the game (at Mississippi State) on both ends of the floor like her. I think we all know the impact that she has on both ends.”
Howard had 21 points and 14 rebounds and was 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Danberry was big in her final game at the Hump as well, scoring 18 points, pulling down five rebounds, taking three steals and dishing out three assists.
In recent weeks, the first quarter has been where the Bulldogs have established themselves as dominant and imposed their will on opposing teams. It was the case throughout the SEC Tournament and in the first round against Southern University and it continued Sunday. It was 23-10 in the opening frame as the Bulldogs forced eight turnovers and were bothersome to Clemson’s offensive rhythm.
At the half, State had already seen Howard and McCowan each notch double figures scoring and the Bulldogs led comfortably, 41-22.
The lead grew to 24 points midway through the third quarter as MSU looked to be putting the pedal down on the Tigers. However, the visitors weren’t going quietly.
Clemson went on an 8-0 run late in the quarter to cut that lead down to 13 before the Bulldogs were able to take a 62-46 advantage. It was a quarter to forget for Schaefer as his defense gave up more points in those 10 minutes than they did the entire first half.
It was back to the basics in the fourth quarter and played straight through what got them there, McCowan. The Southeastern Conference Player of the Year scored 15 of her 30 points in the final quarter and put the game away for good.
“It all starts in the first quarter. You’ve got all of this energy from the jump and eventually you’re going to get tired,” McCowan said. “I took advantage of it.”
The post presence was prevalent for the Bulldogs (32-2) who had a 52-38 advantage in the paint and a 42-29 mark on the rebounds. The Bulldogs forced 23 turnovers and State scored 28 points off of those. The Bulldogs weren’t particular sharp themselves at times with 17 turnovers.
No matter the faults that the team could find in the game, the Bulldog seniors came to center court after the final buzzer to a standing ovation from the MSU faithful and gave their final goodbyes to the fans that have followed them since the beginning.
“It was pretty special getting to play my last home game here at the Hump in front of these fans,” McCowan said. “Them sticking around until the end of the game really warms my heart.”
Now, that group of seniors and their team are heading to Portland, Ore., two wins away from another trip to a Final Four.
The journey begins on Friday when State plays the No. 5 seed Arizona State who upset Miami earlier on Sunday.
