Victoria Vivians scored 23 points and Teaira McCowan had 21 points and 16 rebounds to help No. 2 Mississippi State defeat Kentucky 74-55 on Sunday.
In front of a second straight sellout crowd at Humphrey Coliseum, Coach Vic Schaefer defeated Kentucky for the first time in his career. The Bulldogs had lost 11 straight games in the series before Sunday’s win.
Roshunda Johnson worked Mississippi State through a relatively cold first quarter, hitting five three-pointers for 15 points. Despite the 35-percent shooting in the first 20 minutes, the Bulldogs were up 40-22.
Kentucky’s Maci Morris got going in the third quarter, scoring 11 points in the first 5:30 and helping the Cats close that 18-point lead down to nine at 50-41.