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State puts together largest SEC win in Purcell era with 96-56 blowout of Auburn

3rupauk8_400x400by:Robbie Faulk•about 11 hours•

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eniya russell4
Eniya Russell (Photo by Mississippi State Athletics)

 Following consecutive losses where Mississippi State hindered itself with turnovers, the Bulldogs showed on Thursday night what they can be when protecting the basketball.

State put together, quite possibly, the best quarter of basketball in SEC play in the Sam Purcell era outscoring Auburn 33-4 in the second and dominated the Auburn Tigers, 96-56. It was the largest win in SEC play in Purcell’s three seasons in Starkville.

“I think they were just really focused in,” Purcell said. “It’s scary how good we can be. We have a wow factor when we’re dialed in.”

Second quarter sets the tone for State in dominant win

Though the Bulldogs still turned the ball over 19 times in the game, protecting the ball in the second quarter allowed for the difference. MSU turned the ball over nine times in the first quarter and held a 15-13 lead.

In the second frame, MSU had just one turnover. During that quarter the Bulldogs had a 24-0 run over the course of 6:30 to push a two-point lead all the way out to over 30. By halftime, that 33-4 spark had the Bulldogs up 48-17.

“It’s been an emphasis all week. We’ve obviously seen how turnovers have affected us the last few games,” point guard Denim Deshields said. “That gave us a confidence booster. We know what we’re capable of and know that our Achilles heel has been turnovers. To see us make an adjustment that quick was really helpful for us.”

State kept the gas pedal down offensively in the third quarter as they followed the team’s highest scoring quarter in SEC play by topping it with 35 points. It pushed the lead out beyond 40 points and the Bulldogs rolled.

A big issue for the Tigers was the fact that it was a one-woman shot on the offensive side of the ball. With Taliah Scott out since early in the season, Auburn has been relying heavily on Deyona Gaston. The former State signee and Texas player had 12 of the team’s 17 points in the half and finished with 26 points on 12-of-27 shooting.

MSU on the other hand had a balanced ball game with five players scoring in double figures. Jerkaila Jordan and Eniya Russell each had 15 points and on a combined 11-of-23 shooting and 10 combined rebounds.

Chandler Prater delivered a strong performance off the bench with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting and six rebounds.

“All I did was keep grinding,” Prater said. “Putting in the work outside of the games and continuing to believe in myself and letting my teammates push me.”

Madina Okot had 13 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-7 while Deshields finished with 13 points on 4-of-7 with seven assists to just one turnover.

One reason the Bulldogs’ offense found effectiveness through another high turnover quarter was one of its best shooting nights of the year. The Bulldogs shot 38-of-61 (62%), made 12-of-13 foul shots and hit 8-of-21 3-pointers. State held the Tigers to 21-of-61 (34%) and just 3-of-14 from three (21%).

The Bulldogs dominated the boards 44-23, had a 34-8 edge in bench points and 56-26 in the paint.

Up Next

After two-straight losses to Tennessee and Ole Miss, the Bulldogs (16-5, 3-4 SEC) are back in the win column and back in the hunt for landing another NCAA Tournament berth. To get there, more wins have to come and the Bulldogs look to get another one on Sunday.

The Bulldogs will head to Missouri (11-10, 0-6 SEC) on Sunday to take on the last place Tigers.

“If we can have that unselfish behavior, especially the kids that come off the bench, we have a special team,” Purcell said. “If we can shut out the outside noise and know what the truth is in the locker room, we can do special things.”

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