Mississippi State stuns No. 15 Tennessee women in 77-62 win

Kharyssa Richardson scored 21 points and Mississippi State beat No. 15 Tennessee on Thursday night, 77-62. Richardson was 9 of 11 from the field and scored 16 in the second half. Trayanna Crisp added 15 points with five rebounds and three steals. Madison Francis added 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, while Favor Nwaedozi scored 11 points, 14 rebounds and two steals. It was the second win of the season for the Bulldogs (16-6, 3-5 SEC) against a ranked opponent. The Volunteers won the previous meeting between these teams 90-80 on January 8. It was the first home and conference loss for the Vols (14-4, 6-1 SEC) after starting a seven-game winning streak and the last remaining undefeated team in the SEC. Their previously scheduled game Monday — a contest with No. 17 Ole Miss — was postponed due to weather. With 2:31 left in the first half, the game was tied at 26 points apiece. The Bulldogs closed on a 9-0 run with a pair of 3-pointers from Crisp, and continued with an 11-3 run early in the second half to build a 14-point lead at the 5:53 mark of the third quarter. The Bulldogs’ lead grew to 20 and never fell below double digits from that point on. Talaysia Cooper led with 19 points for the Vols. Mia Pauldo had 13 and four steals, and Janiah Barker added 10 and six rebounds. The Bulldogs, entering 12th in the nation with 43.9 rebounds per game, dominated the glass with a 50-31 rebounding advantage against a Tennessee team that entered 19th in the nation in rebounds per game (42.7). They outscored the Vols 35-11 on the fast break. Next, Mississippi State hosts Missouri on Sunday and Tennessee is on the road against No. 1 UConn on Sunday. Associated Press reporting.