AMES, Iowa (AP) Morgan William scored 24 points, Victoria Vivians had 16 and sixth-ranked Mississippi State overcame a 17-pointy deficit to beat Iowa State 85-81 in overtime Saturday.
Roshunda Johnson's 3-pointer with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter forced overtime for the Bulldogs (8-0). They trailed by 11 with 10 minutes left.
Mississippi State controlled the overtime, but it took four free throws by William with the final 15 seconds to seal the win.
The underdog Cyclones (5-1) played like the favorites for much of regulation, outscoring Mississippi State 28-13 in the second quarter to go up 43-26 at halftime.
But the Bulldogs cut it to 70-68 with 36 seconds left on William's 3, and Johnson's contested 3 from the elbow gave them a chance to steal a big win on the road.
Seanna Johnson had 21 points with eight rebounds for Iowa State. Jadda Buckley added 19 points and 11 assists. The Cyclones were 10 of 15 from 3-point range.
THE BIG PICTURE
Mississippi State: Bulldogs coach Vic Schaefer might regret scheduling eight consecutive games away from Starkville for a team with the Final Four in its sights. This was the fourth game of that stretch, and Mississippi State looked little like the team that entered play 35-8 since the start of last season until the final 15 minutes. That's when the Bulldogs, aided by a cold stretch from Iowa State, took control.
Iowa State: The Cyclones had their first losing season since 2003 last season. If they keep playing like this, they might push for an upper-division Big 12 finish. Iowa State created open shots with excellent ball movement, overcame its lack of size by attacking the defensive glass and made the most of their forced turnovers. But coach Bill Fennelly's decision to milk the clock rather than attack late ruined his team's offensive flow.
UP NEXT
Mississippi State plays at Southern Miss on Dec. 10. The Golden Eagles entered Saturday at 6-1 - but they haven't played anyone nearly as talented as the Bulldogs.
Iowa State won't get much time to recover from this loss. The Cyclones host New Orleans on Sunday.
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