JONESBORO, Ark. (12/14/21) – A dominant second half showing by the Arkansas State women's basketball team handed interim head coach Destinee Rogers her first win as a collegiate head coach Tuesday night, ousting Mississippi Valley State 81-47 at First National Bank Arena.
With the win, Rogers made school history, becoming the first African-American woman to win a game as a head coach at A-State in any sport.
Five players scored 10 or more points for the Red Wolves (5-6), who halted a four-game losing skid with the victory over MVSU (0-8). Not only that, all 10 players who saw the court factored into the scoring column. After leading by just eight at halftime, A-State turned up the dial in the final 20 minutes, outscoring the visitors 44-18 in the second half.
Morgan Wallace finished a rebound shy of her second straight double-double, scoring 13 points with 9 boards while handing out a game-high 6 assists. Jireh Washington registered 13 points off the bench, while Trinitee Jackson posted 12 points with 8 rebounds. Mailyn Wilkerson dropped 12 points, all on four made treys, and Keya Patton tallied 11 points with 5 boards and 4 dimes.
A-State shot 43.1 percent (28-65) from the floor and 38.5 percent (10-26) from 3-point range, while dishing out 20 assists to 28 made baskets for an assist rate of 71.4 percent. The Scarlet and Black won the battle of the boards 49-41. Zakiya Mahoney led MVSU with 13 points while Sarah Moore topped the team with 8 rebounds.
The Red Wolves were also stingy on the defensive end of the floor, forcing 25 turnovers and blocking four shots. A-State limited the Delta Devilettes to just 30 percent shooting (18-60) and 20.8 percent (5-24) from deep. MVSU also struggled at the foul line, making just six of 19 attempts (31.6 percent).
MVSU kept it close early, leading by one midway through the opening quarter until a 10-2 A-State run to end the period made it 27-22 after the first 10. Wilkerson drilled a trey with 36 seconds to go to push that lead to five. The Red Wolves shot just 28.6 percent in the second quarter, but forced seven takeaways to maintain the lead, holding off the Delta Devilettes for a 37-29 halftime lead.
A-State picked up the pace in the third quarter, outscoring MVSU 27-5 behind a 52.9 percent mark from the field. After the Delta Devilettes cut the deficit down to 10 on a layup by Da'Sha McGloster, the Red Wolves closed the period on a dominant 20-0 run to own a 30-point lead entering the final quarter.
The Red Wolves kept the pressure coming in the fourth quarter, holding MVSU to without a field goal for over 3 ½ minutes of game time. A-State's largest lead came with 4:20 to go, when Wallace knocked down a pair of foul shots, then responding to a Devilette 3-pointer with a trey of her own on the next possession. MVSU managed to cut the margin down to 32, but a pair of free throws by Karolina Szydlowska rounded out the night's scoring.
NEXT UP
A-State continues its home stand Sunday, hosting in-state foe Hendrix for the second half of a men's-women's basketball doubleheader. Tip-off at First National Bank Arena is slated for approximately 4 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, while the radio broadcast of all A-State women's basketball games can be heard on 95.3/96.9 The Ticket.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the A-State women's basketball program, follow @AStateWB on Twitter and @astatewbb on Instagram, while also liking the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/RedWolvesWBB.
