Gaynor, Ward Pace Saturday's Maroon-White Scrimmage

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Fans had their first opportunity to see Vic Schaefer's inaugural Mississippi State women's basketball team in action Saturday afternoon as the team hosted its first Maroon-White Scrimmage.

While Schaefer noted some areas that needed work, he was also pleased with his team's ability to shoot from the two-guard position and knock down free throws.

"It was about what I thought it would be," Schaefer said of Saturday's game. "We have many things to work on, but there were some bright spots as well. I thought we shot free throws really well, and I was pleased with the way our two-guards shot the ball. Now we can take the film and teach them as we get ready for Friday's exhibition game."

Playing four 10-minute quarters, the Bulldogs were paced by 20 points each from senior Darriel Gaynor and freshman Jessy Ward. Gaynor was 7-for-17 from the field, including 4-of-9 from three-point range.

Fans were impressed with their first glimpse of the freshman Ward. The Clarksville, Tenn., native hit 4-of-6 three-pointers and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

Sophomore Martha Alwal, a Freshman All-SEC selection a year ago, tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four blocked shots.

Junior point guard Katia May matched Alwal with 19 points. She was 5-of-8 from the field and 9-for-10 from the line while also dishing out a game-high seven assists.

Fellow point guard Jerica James tallied 16 points and five assists, while freshman forward Sherise Williams also contributed 16 points to go along with 12 rebounds.

Williams, a St. Louis native, was 12-of-16 from the free-throw line as the Bulldogs connected on 38-of-49 (77.6%) from the stripe.

Mississippi State opens the 2012-13 slate against Shorter in an exhibition game Friday at 7 p.m. Schaefer's squad begins the regular season Nov. 9, hosting Houston in a 7 p.m. tip at Humphrey Coliseum.