Bulldogs power through for 'team win' on road at Florida
Mississippi State’s will was put to the test on the road against Florida.
After jumping out to an 8-0 lead, MSU and Florida went back and forth most of the game until the Bulldogs pulled away in the fourth. Jerkaila Jordan and Jessika Carter took control and helped State to a 89-77 victory in Gainesville to get back to .500 in league play.
The win was the sixth-straight for State at Florida after winning just four games there all-time previously. It was also the 10th win in the last 11 games against the Gators overall.
“Banning together as one and not letting up,” Jordan said of the key to pulling away. “We took the lessons we learned from last game and got a tough win on the road.”
Jordan was exceptional in the win going head-to-head with a high-scoring tandem off the bench in former Bulldog guard Aliyah Matharu and also Leilani Correa. The latter dropped 31 points in the game while Matharu had 16, but MSU’s tandem did more than score.
Jordan finished with 21 points on the night and his all six of her free throws while pulling down 12 rebounds, swiping a couple of steals and dishing out two assists. Carter got her second double-double of conference play with 20 points on 10-of-15 and had 15 rebounds.
In the three SEC wins, Carter has now scored 20 points in all three and is averaging 21.6 points and 13 rebounds.
Debreasha Powe scored 13 points in the game, Lauren Park-Lane had 12 points and four assists and Darrione Rogers finished with 11 points off the bench on 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
It was also a return to the floor for Nyangoh Gony who would play 11 minutes. She finished with zero points but her reach on the defensive end was an issue for the opposing team.
“I’m just excited we got the team win. My whole team is playing,” Purcell said. “If we can be happy in that locker room that we’re all playing together as one, watch out because our best basketball is ahead of us.”
Dawgs always had an answer
The Bulldogs routinely shot high percentage shots and they came through with a 51% night on 33-of-65 shooting. State was 7-of-17 from 3-point range and 16-of-23 from the free throw line.
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Turnovers were an issue for State and allowed the Gators to stay in the game. MSU had 15 turnovers with UF scoring 22 points off of those. MSU did do well on the boards, however, with a 43-30 edge there.
MSU had an 8-0 lead early in the game before the Gators started battling back. It was thanks to the offensive prowess off the bench from Correa and Matharu and they helped outscore the Bulldogs 49-19 in bench points.
The game was tied at 19 after the first quarter before the Bulldogs built another eight-point lead in the second. UF would come back and tie the game again in the final minute of the half, but State managed to score 25 points in the second to power through and take a 44-40 lead at the half.
After State got up by as much as nine points in the third quarter, UF would again close it back to a possession and it was 40-39 in the final minute yet again before the Bulldogs were able to take a two-point lead into the final quarter.
A 6-0 run out of the break helped State get back up eight. Florida got it as close as three points, but Carter helped push it to double digits for the first time under 4 minutes left.
Up Next
The win improved MSU to 16-5 on the season and 3-3 in SEC play as State is closing in on the midway point of the conference slate. The Bulldogs will welcome in No. 9 LSU next Monday night for a 6 p.m. showdown on ESPN 2.
