Defending champs of LSU coming to Starkville for showdown with Mississippi State

Facing the defending national champions with a reloaded roster is never easy, but doing it after a heartbreaking loss could be even tougher.

That’s what is ahead of Mississippi State on Monday night when a top 10 LSU team comes to Starkville for a 6 p.m. first tip at Humphrey Coliseum. A national audience will be tuned in on ESPN 2 to see if the Tigers can bounce back from their loss against No. 1 South Carolina or if the Bulldogs can spring the upset on Kim Mulkey’s crew.

These are the games that coach Sam Purcell signed up for when he arrived at MSU. It’s why he made the jump from a Final Four program in Louisville to take over as the head man.

“There are a lot of challenges,” Purcell said of playing the Tigers. “They had the number one transfer class in the country and the number one high school class in the country.  I feel like they’re a lot like us that they’ve had so many injuries, but that team is playing their best basketball.

“That’s what this league is about. We’re looking forward to hosting them at our place. We’re going to have to have a really good night with hopefully a sold-out Hump.”

While not sold out as of the weekend, the game was closing in on one of the hottest tickets in the last several years. Over 7,000 Bulldog fans were in Starkville for the Ole Miss game and there’s been another 7,000+ sold for Monday night’s game with well over 1,000 student tickets already claimed.

This is why Purcell came to Starkville, but it’s why his players came as well. Former DePaul player Darrione Rogers will go head-to-head against her former teammate Aneesah Morrow who is starring for the Tigers. They both sacrificed some production and Rogers even gave up a starting spot to be a part of a run.

Coming into Monday’s game, Rogers is averaging 6.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists a game while averaging 21.2 minutes off the bench. She’s also his 28 3-pointers. Despite the dip in her production, she’s doing what she came to Starkville to do and that’s help the team win and have a great experience.

“Coming from DePaul to here, I came for the fanbase. At the Ole Miss game, you felt the energy in the Hump. Being able to do the work behind closed doors and when the lights come on you have a crowd cheering for you, it makes it a lot easier and more fun. That’s why I came to the SEC – to compete against the best and play in front of crowds that really love women’s basketball.”

Jessika Carter is the difference for Bulldog success

MSU has held teams to 61 points per game this year and is outrebounding the opposition by 9.4 boards a game. Jessika Carter is a big reason for success for the Bulldogs with her 15.1 points and 9.9 rebounds a game. In SEC play, Carter averages 21.6 points and 12.0 rebounds in wins and 8.6 points and 7.7 rebounds in losses.

Jerkaila Jordan leads the Bulldogs with 17.1 points a game and has 6.3 rebounds a contest while Debreasha Powe pours in 11.1 points and leads the squad with 47 3-pointers on the season. Lauren Park-Lane averages 10.4 points.

State (16-5, 3-3 SEC) will need all 10 available players and 7,000+ to knock off the loaded LSU team. The No. 9 Tigers come in at 18-3 and 5-2 in conference play needing a win to stay in the hunt for the SEC championship. They average an incredible 91 points per game and have six players in double digits.

SEC Player of the Year Angel Reese is back this season with her 19.6 points and 11.9 rebounds a game, Morrow has added a lift with her 18.0 points and 9.7 boards, freshman Mikaylah Williams is a front runner for SEC Freshman of the Year with her 16.2 points a game, Flau’jae Johnson has been strong in her second season and former Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith is a seasoned vet guard.

For Purcell, the key is making sure that the Tigers don’t intimidate the Bulldogs on the offensive end and they don’t get second chances. Ending possessions at one shot and playing hard for four quarters is the key to victory.

“We’ve got to rebound. Looking at last year’s game, we gave up 24 second chance points. Ball game,” Purcell said. “We’ve got to be tough and we’ve got to be a four-quarter team. In these big heavyweight games like Vanderbilt, Tennessee, South Carolina and LSU, we’ve got to play for four quarters.”