STARKVILLE – On Sunday afternoon, the Mississippi State Bulldogs showed what they’re capable of, but also that big improvements need to be made.
Mississippi State’s women led by as many as 11 points over the defending national champion South Carolina Gamecocks, but ultimately lost 95-68 at the Humphrey Coliseum.
What MSU was capable of showed early in the game.
Both sides struggled to score in the game’s first five minutes, but then Mississippi State went on a 14-4 run to take a 16-7 lead. Jerkaila Jordan had 10 points in that span, including back-to-back 3-pointers.
“Jerk’s one of the best players in the country, and she lives for this moment,” Bulldogs coach Sam Purcell said. “I thought she just had a demeanor about her that, you know, she made some tough shots, but most important was playing on both ends.”
Defensively, Madina Okot was making her presence felt. The junior from Kenya had six rebounds in the period, as many as the Gamecocks had as a team.
“Medina just does all the little things,” Purcell said. “She never complains for the ball.”
Both efforts led to a 22-13 lead for Mississippi State after the first quarter.
The Bulldogs made it an 11-point game early in the second quarter and still held a nine-point lead halfway through, but a three from Te-Hina Paopao got the Gamecocks rolling.
It was the start of a 19-2 run for South Carolina, enough to put it ahead 42-34 going into halftime.
As South Carolina continued to take advantage of its opportunities, the Bulldogs continued to give more to them. Mississippi State had seven turnovers in the second quarter, including four in the last four minutes.
“We value the ball. We know we’ve done so good,” Purcell said. “But we just had some dagger turnovers that allowed them to get some easy transition opportunities.”
Overall, the Bulldogs had 20 turnovers. South Carolina scored 23 points off them.
The Gamecocks kept on rolling in the third quarter, using a 17-0 run to take a 59-36 lead with 3:26 to go. Mississippi State had seven turnovers in that period as well.
Sunday’s matinee was part of a tough stretch for Mississippi State to open SEC play. Five of its first six conference games are against opponents ranked in the AP Poll. The first was a 91-69 drubbing at the hands of No. 16 Kentucky on the road last Thursday.
Purcell believes the pieces are there for the Bulldogs to compete with the best in the country for all four quarters. They just need to get the most out of it.
“I don’t think there’s really anything missing. I really think it showed in the first quarter, when you get 22-13, to me, on the number one team in the country, that you have the pieces,” he said. “Now it’s just making sure that they handle it.”
Mississippi State returns to action on Thursday, when it hosts No. 9 Oklahoma. After traveling to Georgia, the Bulldogs then head to No. 15 Tennessee and host No. 25 Ole Miss to conclude the opening stretch run.
Being able to handle those games will take each player having the mindset to focus on self improvement. Such a mindset, Purcell believes, will have them ready for the stretch run.
“If each one of my individual players can have that mindset, that our team will get better,” he said. “And when your team gets better in the SEC, then you’re ready for March Madness and you’re ready for deep runs, so that’s where I’m trying to help them understand. Just focus on the next game.
“Everybody talks about, you know, how we got five out of six out the gate. Who cares? The most important game is the next one and so that’s the message to my team.”
