It took nearly all 40 minutes, but Mississippi State survived.
Three days after narrowly falling to No. 1 South Carolina on Monday, MSU (17-3, 5-1 SEC) escaped a tighter-than-expected contest in Nashville with a 68-52 win over Vanderbilt (12-7, 2-4 SEC) Thursday.
Tied at 52 with 6:38 remaining in the fourth quarter, coach Vic Schaefer’s squad concluded the game on a 16-0 run to down the Commodores for the seventh-straight time.
Fresh off a staunch effort from the MSU bench against the Gamecocks, it was a supporting cast that guided the Bulldogs to victory in Music City.
Freshman guard Aliyah Matharu and Xaria Wiggins anchored the scoring down the stretch as usual producers Jordan Danberry and Rickea Jackson were limited to a combined 18 points on 9 of 22 shooting.
Matharu, who provided a major 10-point spurt in the third quarter of Monday’s loss at South Carolina, again provided instant-offense — scoring 14 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter, in just 14 minutes of action.
Wiggins was similarly productive, notching eight points and six rebounds as she played a season-high 29 minutes.
Sophomore center Jessika Carter also enjoyed a return to form after foul trouble limited her availability in Columbia. The Waverly Hall, Georgia native finished her night with 22 points on 8 of 9 shooting along with seven rebounds — marking the third time this year she’s scored at least 20 points and seven rebounds.
MSU now heads back to Starkville for a three game homestand beginning with a Sunday matchup against in-state rival Ole Miss.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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