February 14, 1999

Starkville, Miss. – Mississippi State freshman Jennifer Fambrough scored 32 points to lead the Lady Bulldogs past Kentucky 83-75 in Starkville on Sunday.

The Lady Bulldogs (14-9, 6-7) went on an 11-0 run before the Wildcats (16-9, 6-7) scored their first point with 15:23 to go in the first half. UK starters hit only three field goals in the first 20 minutes, hitting 10-of-33 (30.3 percent) from the floor. MSU led 43-26 at the half, hitting 16-of-26 from the field, 2-of-3 from the three-point line and 8-of-11 from the free throw line.

In the second half, UK pulled within six, 70-64, with four minutes remaining, with help from UK freshman LaTonya McDole and junior Erica Jackson. McDole, held scoreless in the first half, scored all 12 of her points in the second half while Jackson scored a game-high 16 points. Tiffany Wait would also hit two three-pointers in the second half to spark the Wildcats, but MSU’s Fambrough would answer with 13 straight points to pull away for good. Fambrough finished the game with 10-of-11 from the floor and 12-of-13 from the charity stripe. “We just didn’t come in here ready to play today,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “We got beat on the boards and we shot poorly. I felt we did a lot better in the second half, but it has to be 40 minutes of intensity, not 20 minutes.”

Jackson led the Cats with 16 points while McDole and Wait followed with 12 points apiece. Senior Jaye Barnes came out of shooting slump, scoring in double digits with 10 points for the first time in four games. UK was outrebounded for the second straight game as MSU pulled down 41 rebounds compared to Kentucky’s 34.

Kentucky will battle non-conference opponent Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports South.