Trojans Fall at Mississippi State

Saturday, December 29

Starkville, Miss.

7:00 p.m.

Troy University

Mississippi State

Photo by: Cass Davis

12/29/2012 9:57:00 PM | Basketball (W)

By: Matt Mays

Box Score

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Troy women's basketball team closed the non-conference portion of its schedule on Saturday night, falling to Mississippi State, 82-60, at Humphrey Coliseum.

Troy (3-9), playing its third SEC opponent this month, was outsized by Mississippi State's post presence but still battled with the Bulldogs. Senior Sarah McAppion led the Trojans with a career-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, but was the only Troy player in double figures.

Mississippi State (8-5), playing its second game in as many nights, got big games from its two post players, Martha Alwal and Carnecia Williams. Alwal scored 21 points with 12 rebounds while Williams had 20 points with 10 rebounds.

The Bulldogs used a 16-4 run in the first half to build a 12-point lead halfway through the first period. Darriel Gaynor fueled the run with three of her five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points.

Troy trailed by 21 at the break, 48-27, as Mississippi State shot 48.6 percent (17-of-35) in the first half. Troy shot just 33.3 percent (10-of-30) in the opening half, but didn't give in and made a run in the second frame.

The Trojans trailed by as many as 27 early in the second half, but cut the deficit down to 16 at the midway point thanks to an 8-0 run. MSU then used its own 8-0 run to build the lead up to 24 at 68-44.

Troy shot 42.9 percent (12-of-28) in the second half and was only outscored by the Bulldogs by one point in the closing period.

Troy finished the game shooting 37.9 percent (22-of-58) while Mississippi State shot 44.9 percent (31-of-69). Troy was just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from deep.

The bigger Bulldogs outrebounded Troy 48-35, including 21 offensive rebounds by MSU that led to 19 second-chance points. Troy committed 25 turnovers that led to 27 MSU points while forcing 18 Bulldog miscues.

The Trojans now turn their attention to Sun Belt play as they travel to take on North Texas on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Super Pit in Denton, Texas.

For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter at @TroyAthletics or on Facebook at Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.