# SEC Women's Basketball: Mississippi State Bulldogs Dominates North Alabama Lions 68-27 **Published:** 2026-11-03 — **By:** Stacy Stanfield **Category:** games — **Type:** game-recap **Source:** https://secscouts.com/news/sec-women-s-basketball-mississippi-state-bulldogs-dominates-north-alabama-lions-68-27 **Teams:** [Miss State](https://secscouts.com/mississippi-state/) **Players:** [Reese Beaty](https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/player/_/id/5314955/reese-beaty), [Madison Francis](https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/player/_/id/5311605/madison-francis), [Favour Nwaedozi](https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/player/_/id/5311604/favour-nwaedozi), [Lani Smallwood](https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/player/_/id/5455251/lani-smallwood) --- 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. --- *Original article: [SEC Women's Basketball: Mississippi State Bulldogs Dominates North Alabama Lions 68-27](https://secscouts.com/news/sec-women-s-basketball-mississippi-state-bulldogs-dominates-north-alabama-lions-68-27) — SEC Scouts*