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State looking to get back on track on the road at Florida

3rupauk8_400x400by:Robbie Faulk•01/21/24•

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STARKVILLE, MS - November 06, 2023 - Mississippi State Head Coach Sam Purcell during the game between the Alcorn State Braves and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, MS. Photo By Jaden Powell (Credit: Mississippi State Atheltics)

A look of disappointment was evident immediately when Sam Purcell sat down in front of the media following a rough 75-64 loss to Tennessee on Thursday evening.

Mississippi State had once led by 15 points in the ball game before being outscored 21-5 in the third quarter and the Bulldogs never recovered in a double-digit loss. It represented the second game in SEC play that was there for the taking at home but the Bulldogs failed to seize it.

After dropping a 71-66 game against Vanderbilt in the first ball game in conference play, MSU lost by 19 on the road at South Carolina but bounced back with a road win at Arkansas and a big home triumph over rival Ole Miss. The game against the Lady Volunteers was a chance to continue to build momentum, but State failed.

“I thought they were very physical. I thought they allowed the game to get very tough and took us out of our sets,” Purcell said of the Lady Vols. “We missed layups and free throws and I’ve seen that behavior before. Too many turnovers, sloppy play and it’s unacceptable.”

One of the biggest issues that Purcell has faced in SEC play is his players giving teams second chance opportunities with offensive rebounds. In four of the five conference games to this point, the opposition has scored at least 15 points on second chances.

Vanderbilt and South Carolina both scored 15 points on second chances while Ole Miss had 16 and UT scored 19 second chance points. Luckily the Bulldogs were able to find a way against the Rebels, but it’s been a big reason the team has lost the other three ball games.

“We’ve got to finish plays. We’re even on the boards (vs. Tennessee) but 19 second chance points. It was the perfect storm and we allowed it to escalate when we didn’t score on the offensive end,” Purcell said. “We’ve got to roll up our sleeves and work because there’s no easy ones in the SEC.”

Bulldogs back to the road

Sitting at 15-5 on the year and 2-3 in SEC play, all is not lost for the Bulldogs. It’s a long conference slate and State has a chance to rack up some wins, but the Bulldogs need every victory they can get to not only stay off the bubble in the NCAA Tournament, but make it altogether.

The Bulldogs are in solid shape heading into Monday night’s 6 p.m. game against Florida on the SEC Network. State is ranked No. 34 in the NET and will have a resume-building game against the Gators with a Quad I chance on the line. Florida (10-6, 1-3 SEC) is coming off its first SEC win over Georgia last week and is led by former Bulldog Aliyah Matharu who averages 18.4 points and has a team-high 49 assists on the year.

“Florida almost beat Tennessee at Tennessee and we just lost to Tennessee. Everybody is legit in the SEC and they’ve got great guard play,” Purcell said of the Gators. “I’ve got to make sure that we’ve got our swagger and our fight and watch this film and learn from it. We’ve got to have short term memory and a dog mentality to fight back.”

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