MSU Women’s Basketball Tops Vanderbilt, Advances To SEC Semis

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Dominique Dillingham scored 12 points, Teaira McCowan added 11 and No. 16 Mississippi State beat Vanderbilt 63-46 in the Southeastern Conference women’s tournament Friday night.

The third-seeded Bulldogs (25-6) won their fourth consecutive game and advanced to play seventh-seeded Tennessee in the semifinals Saturday.

Mississippi State led from the opening tip against Vandy, but it wasn’t always pretty. State was up just 31-29 late in the third quarter before pulling away. The Bulldogs opened up a 15-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and never were threatened down the stretch.

Rachel Bell led the Commodores (18-14) with 11 points, the only Vandy player in double figures. No. 11 seed Vanderbilt looked like a team playing its third game in as many days, shooting 32 percent from the floor and struggling with ball security.

Mississippi State shot 40 percent from the field, but also added 26 points off 27 Vanderbilt turnovers and a 26-8 scoring advantage in the paint.