Jerkaila Jordan returns to form in Bulldogs' 73-45 win over Alcorn State
In Mississippi State’s first game of the season, the Bulldogs put on a show despite star player Jerkaila Jordan struggling with just two points.
Jordan was back in business on Sunday afternoon against Alcorn State. The senior dropped 20 points and helped lead the Bulldogs to a 73-45 runaway win over the Braves.
After shooting just 1-for-11 on Thursday night against Memphis, Jordan was 7-of-18 on Sunday with seven rebounds and four assists. She began the game 1-for-7 but finished strong in her 28 minutes of play.
“I want to give a shoutout to my teammates keeping me uplifted and confident,” Jordan said. “My team was winning and my teammates were playing great so it was nothing.”
State turnovers an area that must be cleaned up
It wasn’t the Bulldogs most crisp ball game as the team full of newcomers is still getting used to each other. State turned the ball over 20 times, although the Braves couldn’t take advantage.
Alcorn finished with just nine points off of those 20 turnovers while the Bulldogs forced 21 turnovers and had 29 points. The giveaways have been a point of concern for coach Sam Purcell since before the start of the season.
“We love home runs. In a game like Memphis where it’s press, quick tempo and we can get out an go, (Alcorn) did a great job loading the box and within our offense we’ve got to have patience,” Purcell said. “We’re going to get those home runs if we can get those ball reversals if we can get some movement and through cuts. I thought a lot of that didn’t occur (Sunday), but credit to them for having a good gameplan to make it ugly.”
State’s offense finished 26-of-56 (46%) with 7-of-19 makes from 3-point range. The Bulldogs held Alcorn to just 15-of-53 (28%) and 6-of-19 from three.
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The first quarter was both team’s best on the offensive end as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 26-18 lead. Alcorn made 5-of-8 3-pointers in that quarter to stay within striking distance, but the Braves would make just nine shots the rest of the game and one long ball.
In the second and third quarters, State held Alcorn to single digits as the lead built to as much as a 35-point lead. The Bulldogs were sluggish to the final buzzer, however, but they came out with a comfortable win.
Along with Jordan’s big game, the Bulldogs had a strong night from newcomer Destiney McPhaul. One of the nation’s best in junior college a year ago, McPhaul impressed with her 15 points in 22 minutes. She was 5-of-6 from the field and 3-for-3 from long range.
“There’s a reason she was the number one junior college player in the country. The young lady is special,” Purcell said of McPhaul. “I thought she had great poise (Sunday). That young lady has a special future here and I’m glad I’m coaching her.”
Eniya Russell followed up her career-high performance in game one by scoring just eight points on Sunday, but she pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds in 28 minutes.
State (2-0) will be back at Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. as the Bulldogs host their 2nd Annual Education Day against Alabama State. The game can be seen on SEC Network +.
