Mississippi State women’s basketball entered last season’s SEC Tournament sitting on the NCAA Tournament bubble, likely needing just one win to solidify its case. Instead, the Bulldogs were one-and-done this time around thanks to a 72-56 loss against Texas A&M on Thursday in the second round.
MSU, in coach Sam Purcell’s first season at the helm, walked out of Greenville, South Carolina, leaving its postseason fate in the hands of the selection committee.
Likely needing just one win to give itself comfort for Selection Sunday, No. 8-seeded Mississippi State to No. 9-seeded Texas A&M.
MSU (21-11), which has lost six of its last seven, now relies on the selection committee to extend its season.
Mississippi State entered Thursday as one of the last four teams projected in the field of 68, according to ESPN. However, Texas A&M did so too. The Aggies (19-11) made their case to jump the Bulldogs − who shot 35% from the field Thursday − on the bubble.
Defense keeps Mississippi State close in first half
The offensive numbers for Mississippi State throughout the first half were ugly. The Bulldogs shot 31% from the field, missed seven of nine layups and turned it over seven times. Jessika Carter, a 6-foot-5 All-SEC center, had just as many rebounds (two) in the first half as 5-3 guard Lauren Park-Lane.
However, the halftime deficit for MSU was only four thanks to its work on the defensive end. The Aggies also shot 31% from the field and had seven turnovers. The 25-21 lead A&M had at halftime could be attributed directly to the offensive boards where the Aggies had a 6-2 edge leading to a 7-2 advantage on second-chance points.
Endyia Rogers returns for Texas A&M
Guard Endyia Rogers came of the bench for the Aggies, marking his first action since she suffered a knee injury in a Feb. 11 win against Kentucky. She scored 12 points in her return.
During her six-game absence, the Aggies went 1-5. They entered Thursday with a 17-6 record in games she played.
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MSU offense posts season’s worst first quarter
Mississippi State had its worst offensive first quarter of the season Thursday. The Bulldogs scored only nine points while shooting 17.6% from the field. Jerkaila Jordan had four of MSU’s first-quarter points, but she made just one of her seven field goal attempts.
In its previous meeting against Texas A&M on Feb. 4, Mississippi State only had 12 points in the opening frame.
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: SEC Tournament: Mississippi State women’s basketball loses vs. Texas A&M
