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Mississippi State Athletics
Photo: Mississippi State Athletics
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State rose to the occasion on Monday night. The Bulldogs showed out on both ends of the floor on the way to a 77-73 victory over defending national champion and No. 9-ranked LSU.
A crowd of 9,121 members of the Maroon and White faithful filled Humphrey Coliseum to witness history, marking the first home sellout of the Sam Purcell era.
„I look up at the Hump and there’s a line sitting ready, and I was just speechless,“ Purcell said, describing his arrival to the coliseum this afternoon. „I was like, ‚This is what I dreamed about.'“
MSU then went out and rewarded its loyal fans.
The Bulldogs started off strong with a 14-2 run midway through the first quarter and shot 47 percent from the field to lead by as many as eight points in the frame.
Guard Jerkaila Jordan spearheaded the effort, recording nine points and three rebounds through the opening 10 minutes. Starting forward Erynn Barnum and senior Darrione Rogers also put up key shots for the home team.
Freshman Mjracle Sheppard made the second quarter her own. The native of Kent, Washington, added six points and kept offensive possessions alive with a pair of offensive rebounds.
The game remained close as the Dawgs headed to the half trailing 40-35.
State then came out of the locker room and put together an outstanding third quarter in which it shot an impressive 84.6-percent from the floor and 66.7-percent from three-point range to take control of the contest. Jordan scored the team’s first five points of the second half, netting 12 points in the first five minutes of the third quarter. Rogers backed the senior up with five points in the stanza.
Seven different players found the basket, and the Dawgs netted six of their last seven field goals to close out the third quarter. They outscored the Tigers by 11 points over 10 minutes and took a six-point lead into the final stanza of action.
The Hump was buzzing, sensing a win. Then, State sealed the deal.
MSU held strong on defense as the fourth quarter got underway, and Rogers stepped up big in the final minutes of the game to hit crucial shots when necessary. She scored nine of her team’s 14 points in the last quarter, starting with a big shot from beyond the arc as the Tigers attempted to mount a comeback. Rogers added three free throws over two trips to the line in the final minute of action to secure the victory for the Bulldogs.
„I have so many people who believe in me, but I believe in these young women, and they believe in each other“ Purcell said.
Jordan finished the game with a team-high 24 points and five rebounds, while Rogers scored 19 total points. Sheppard did a bit of everything with 12 points, four offensive rebounds, five assists and six steals.
The victory gives the Dawgs two straight wins, a 17-5 overall record, a 4-3 mark in Southeastern Conference play and a ton of momentum headed into their next game.
Up next, Mississippi State will travel to Lexington to face Kentucky. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, February 1. The game will be streamed by SEC Network+.
