Bulldogs stay competitive but can't finish late, dropping an 85-76 SEC road game against Crimson Tide

Jessica Timmons scored a career-high 28 points, she and Karly Weathers dominated the fourth quarter on offense, and No. 23 Alabama rallied to defeat Mississippi State 85-78

Mississippi State basketball lost its ninth consecutive game to Alabama, this time blowing an early 14-point lead.

Mississippi State’s offense cooled, its defense softened, and Alabama responded with the kind of run that changes more than a score. The Crimson Tide closed the first half on a 21-5 surge, wiping away nearly everything the Bulldogs had done well and slipping into halftime with a 36-34 lead. From there, State never fully recovered.

Mississippi State faces the No. 23 Alabama Crimson Tide after Kharyssa Richardson scored 23 points in the Bulldogs' 71-59 victory against the Kentucky Wildcats

London Jemison scored Alabama's first point of the game at the charity stripe. He went 1-for-2 after earning the trip when MSU's Quincy Ballard was charged with a personal foul. Jemison fell to the ground covering his face, seemingly poked in the eye by Ballard.

After a home upset of Kentucky, Mississippi State faces a tough road test at Alabama while still searching for consistency away from home.