Bulldogs' upset bid of No. 3 Tennessee falls short

STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI - Kara Lawson wanted to take the last shot and her coach wasn&#39;t about to deny the birthday girl&#39;s wish. <br> <br> Lawson hit a pull-up jumper from just inside the foul line at the buzzer to give No. 3 Tennessee an 80-78 victory over Mississippi State on Thursday night. <br> <br> ``She told me right off &#39;Coach, give me the ball,&#39;&#39;&#39; Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. ``I figured it&#39;s her birthday, I&#39;d give her a present.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Lawson scored 29 points, including a 3-pointer that tied it with 35 seconds left. <br> <br> Tennessee (21-3, 10-1 Southeastern) improved to 19-0 against Mississippi State, but none was tougher than this. <br> <br> The Lady Bulldogs (16-9, 7-5) led most of the way behind their high-scoring duo of LaToya Thomas and Tan White. Thomas, the SEC&#39;s leading scorer, had 31 points, and White had 24. <br> <br> ``I told our team &#39;You&#39;ll face two of the best players in the country,&#39;&#39;&#39; Summitt said. ``They were a handful for us.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> But the Lady Vols made the last run with Lawson and Brittany Jackson, who scored a career-high 24, sparking the comeback. <br> <br> Jackson got a friendly bounce on one of her four 3-pointers with 3:20 left to give the Lady Vols their first lead since the opening minutes at 73-72. <br> <br> Thomas broke a 5.5-minute field goal drought for the Lady Bulldogs and was fouled on a power move to the basket, reclaiming the lead for Mississippi State, but she missed the free throw. <br> <br> Jackson scored off an offensive rebound to put Tennessee up 75-74, but the Lady Bulldogs got baskets by Keisha Stringfellow and Thomas to go up 78-75 with 50 seconds left. <br> <br> Again, the rims were kind to Tennessee. Lawson&#39;s leaning 3 bounded off iron and in to tie it at 78. <br> <br> ``I love these rims here,&#39;&#39; Lawson said. <br> <br> Thomas had a chance to put Mississippi State in front again but missed a 9-foot jumper over Shyra Elzy with about 10 seconds left. <br> <br> ``I thought I got a good look,&#39;&#39; Thomas said. <br> <br> That gave Lawson her chance after a timeout with six seconds left. <br> <br> The play was set up for Lawson to break down her defender and either shoot off the dribble or pass if she was double-teamed. <br> <br> ``I was pretty sure I was going to take the shot,&#39;&#39; she said. <br> <br> The 21-year-old shook off a defender, swished her shot and then sprinted a victory lap around the court. <br> <br> Two years ago as a freshman, Lawson hit a game-winning 3 in the closing seconds to beat Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum 79-75. <br> <br> Since coach Sharon Fanning, a former graduate assistant for Summitt, took over at Mississippi State seven years ago, the Lady Bulldogs have gone from SEC doormats to consistent winners. <br> <br> But they are still the only team in the conference never to have beaten Tennessee. <br> <br> ``That&#39;s just another hump we need to get over,&#39;&#39; Fanning said. ``I&#39;d sure like to have done it tonight.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> White had 20 points in a spectacular first half in which she displayed an array of spin moves, crossovers and a pinpoint jumper. <br> <br> The freshman led the Lady Bulldogs on an 11-0 run in the first half, giving Mississippi State a 14-point lead. She scored five points and handed out two dazzling assists to Thomas on the fast break. <br> <br> Lawson scored 18 points in the first half to keep the Lady Vols from getting buried by the Thomas and White show. Mississippi State shot 60 percent in the first half and led 47-34 at the break.

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