Miss State
STARKVILLE, Miss. (11/02/2026) — The Mississippi State Bulldogs turned defense into dominance Monday night at Humphrey Coliseum, forcing 33 turnovers and pulling away from the North Alabama Lions 68-27 in front of 4,095 fans.
Favour Nwaedozi anchored the effort with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Mississippi State's pressure never let North Alabama find a rhythm. The Lions shot just 17 percent from the field and 8 percent from three-point range, managing only four assists against those 33 giveaways.
How It Happened
The opening minutes were the most competitive of the night. Nwaedozi got the scoring started with a free throw at the 9:15 mark of the first quarter, and when Macie Phifer buried a 26-foot three off a Reese Beaty assist at 7:26, Mississippi State held a slim 5-4 edge. The game featured just one lead change and two ties — and all of that drama was packed into the early going.
Lani Smallwood stretched the lead with her own 26-footer at 2:20 to make it 9-6, and then Mississippi State slammed the door on the quarter. Tootie Lockett's layup with 36 seconds left capped a 6-0 closing surge that pushed the margin to 15-6, and North Alabama never got closer again.
The Lions found brief sparks in the second quarter. Emma D'este converted a layup off a Greta Ramon assist to make it 15-8, and Venla Ulander drained a 26-foot three — again set up by Ramon — to cut it to 24-11. But Mississippi State answered every push, and Aryss Macktoon's layup with five seconds left in the half sent the Bulldogs to the break up 28-15.
Mississippi State kept squeezing after halftime. Nwaedozi opened the third quarter with a tip-in at 9:38, Ulander answered with another deep three to make it 34-18, and the Bulldogs ground out the rest of the period at the line and in the paint. Maria Stefancova's free throw made it 40-20, and Beaty's layup at 1:59 stretched the lead to 46-20.
The fourth quarter belonged entirely to the home team. After Stefancova's layup made it 46-22, Mississippi State ripped off a game-best 13-0 run, highlighted by Macktoon's 24-foot three off a Beaty assist that made it 54-22. Lockett put the finishing touches on the night, hitting a free throw at 2:21 and a 26-foot three at 1:42 to push the score to 68-24. Brynn Lusby's free throw with 1:12 left accounted for North Alabama's final point.
Turning Point
The 6-0 burst to close the first quarter decided the game's trajectory. North Alabama trailed just 9-6 with 2:20 left in the period, but Lockett's layup made it 15-6 at the first break, and from there the Lions spent the entire night chasing. The fourth-quarter 13-0 run turned a comfortable win into a 41-point final margin, but the tone was set in those closing first-quarter minutes.
Star of the Game
Nwaedozi was the steadiest force on the floor, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. She scored the game's first point, opened the second half with a tip-in, and controlled the glass all night. Madison Francis added 13 points and seven rebounds, Beaty chipped in nine points and a team-high five assists, and Smallwood contributed eight points and five rebounds in a balanced Mississippi State attack.
What It Means
For the Mississippi State Bulldogs, this was the kind of defensive performance that travels. Forcing 33 turnovers while holding an opponent to 17 percent shooting shows a group that can win with pressure even on a night when its own perimeter shooting (21 percent from three) was modest. The one area to tighten: Mississippi State won the rebounding battle by just one, 45-44, despite the lopsided score.
The North Alabama Lions can take something from their work on the glass, where they nearly matched Mississippi State board for board. Ulander's pair of 26-foot threes and six points, along with Lusby's six points and five rebounds, led a Lions offense that simply could not overcome the turnover count. Cleaning up ball security will be the clear priority as North Alabama continues its nonconference schedule.
