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McCowan leads No. 5 Mississippi State past Maine, 83-43

Posted December 17, 2017 6:00 am

By ROBBIE FAULK

Mississippi State guard Victoria Vivians (35) battles Maine guard Parise Rossignol (12) in the first half of their NCAA college basketball game in Starkville, Miss., Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (AP Photo by Rogelio V. Solis) The Associated Press

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer thought the No. 5 Bulldogs could have played much better coming off a win over No. 9 Oregon. Still, his team had no problem with Maine on Sunday.

Teaira McCowan had 18 points and 11 rebounds in her seventh double-double of the season, and Mississippi State beat Maine 83-43.

"I want to take my hat off to Maine. I thought they played extremely hard," Schaefer said. "I thought they competed and did all they could do. I thought we were really bland. It's typical coming off of the win that we had (against Oregon)."

After posting 35 points and 19 rebounds against Oregon, McCowan played just 26 minutes. She was displeased by the six shots she missed.

"I got down on myself. I left some points out there," McCowan said. "I didn't do too well, but I got a double-double. When I'm not making point-blank layups, I get down on myself."

The Bulldogs (11-0) shot 50 percent or better for the second straight game as they knocked down 31 of 62 shots. They held Maine to 32.7 percent from the field (16 of 49).

After closing the first quarter with an 18-4 run to take a 29-12 lead, the Bulldogs kept their momentum in the second. Maine went scoreless over the final 6:11 in the first half and trailed the Bulldogs 45-18 at halftime.

"We got the lead, stretched the lead out more and killed their confidence," said Victoria Vivians, who scored 12 points. "We went out there and kept our foot on their throat."

Blanca Millan led the Black Bears (6-5) with 13 points. Maine had 27 turnovers, leading to 29 points from Mississippi State. The Bulldogs led in rebounds, 39-28.

The win was the 100th for the Bulldogs' senior class.

"So far they've written quite a bit in the history and record books. and they've got a lot more in front of them. The challenge is to keep putting the pressure on that junior class," Schaefer said. "These seniors are a special group."

UP NEXT

Mississippi State plays UNLV on Wednesday in the Duel in the Desert in Las Vegas.

Maine travels to No. 14 Duke on Tuesday.

Mississippi State center Teaira McCowan (15) shoots a wide open basket against Maine in the first half of their NCAA college basketball game in Starkville, Miss., Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (AP Photo by Rogelio V. Solis) The Associated Press

Mississippi State center Teaira McCowan (15) shoots a basket over Maine players in the first half of their NCAA college basketball game in Starkville, Miss., Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (AP Photo by Rogelio V. Solis) The Associated Press

Maine guard Tanesha Sutton (23) reaches for the ball as Mississippi State guard Victoria Vivians (35) steals it away in the second half of their NCAA college basketball game in Starkville, Miss., Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. Mississippi State won, 83-43. (AP Photo by Rogelio V. Solis) The Associated Press

Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer calls to his players in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maine in Starkville, Miss., Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (AP Photo by Rogelio V. Solis) The Associated Press

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