STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State Bulldogs fell just short of defeating the top team in the country, as they dropped the contest against the No. 1/1 Texas Longhorns, 68-64.
“We came to play this game to win,” head coach
Sam Purcell said. “There’s an energy and a talk about this team right now that I love. We’ll have some film to watch but we have to stay hungry and try to get one at Auburn on Sunday”
Thursday’s game was not for the faint of heart, as there were 15 lead changes throughout the duration of the contest. The contest opened slowly, as only one bucket was scored at the initial media timeout, which was taken with 3:33 remaining in the first quarter. The Longhorns held a 7-4 lead at that point. At the half, the Bulldogs trailed the Longhorns by three points.
The game opened in the second half, as each team had their best offensive quarter in the third. Texas gained their largest lead of 10 with 2:10 remaining in the game. The Bulldogs would not give up, however, as they ended the game on an 8-2 run. The clock would eventually run out on State, as Texas knocked down a free throw with two seconds on the clock to secure the four-point victory.
In her last game inside of Humphrey Coliseum,
Jerkaila Jordan led a diverse Bulldog offense with 14 points, two steals and a block. It was the 114th time she scored ten or more points and the 17th time she led the Bulldogs in scoring this season.
“She’s just a special player, she lives for these games,” Purcell said. “Jerk’s a quiet assassin, but she comes with it every single day and we know we’re getting the ultimate competitor on and off the court.”
Even though she battled foul trouble throughout the duration of the contest,
Madina Okot finished the game with 11 points, four rebounds and 2 blocks in 18 minutes of action. It was the 19th time she scored 10 or more points. Her performance was only the second time this season she collected less than five rebounds in a contest.
Chandler Prater and
Debreasha Powe both finished with nine points. Powe knocked down three triples at a 60% rate and was the 11th time this season she has knocked down 3 or more treys.
Eniya Russell led the Bulldogs with six rebounds, alongside
Quanirah Montague who had eight points.
The Bulldogs will conclude their regular season whenever they travel to Auburn, Alabama to take on the Auburn Tigers. Tipoff for the contest will be at 2 p.m. on SECN+.
Visit HailState.com and social media accounts @HailStateWBK for the most up-to-date information on Mississippi State women’s basketball.
