Bulldogs make statement in 100-56 season-opening win over Memphis
With a team full of new faces, there were a lot of unknowns for Mississippi State as game one tipped off on Thursday night.
Sam Purcell’s team welcomed Memphis to the Humphrey Coliseum and had just two starters returning from last year’s team. Jerkaila Jordan was one of those and the senior All-SEC candidate was held scoreless in her first 16 minutes of action.
New faces and one older one would pick up the steady leader as the Bulldogs built an insurmountable second half lead on the way to a 100-56 victory over the Tigers. State played 12 different players with 11 getting the scoring column.
“We know how great a player Jerkaila is, but if she has an off night, she believes in us to pick up what’s out there,” Debreasha Powe said. “It just shows how diverse we are. We have different scorers, and it shows how great we can be. I’m excited to see how this team grows.”
It was an impressive second half performance for a Bulldog team that was rusty out of the gates. State led 36-25 at the half but poured it on in the second with over 30 points in each of the final two quarters.
Russell, Okot shine in debut with State
While Jordan struggled to a 1-for-11 night in 18 minutes, the team had her back. Kentucky transfer Eniya Russell sparkled in her debut with a career-high 26 points on 10-of-15 with a 4-for-8 night from 3-point range.
“It felt amazing. It was a warm welcome,” Russell said. “Hail State fanbase has always been good to me, even when I played against y’all. When I came on my official visit, I felt the energy. It felt like it was a perfect fit for me.”
MSU (1-0) shot 51% for the game with a 37-of-73 showing and the Bulldogs made 8-of-24 3-pointers. State was 18-of-25 from the free throw line. The story of the game was the rebounding as the Bulldogs dominated the boards at 61-33.
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The Bulldogs had 23 offensive boards in the game and 24 second chance points. Newcomer Madina Okot led the way with a fantastic debut in the post with her 14 points and 17 rebounds in 25 minutes. Okot had her game interrupted by foul trouble in the third quarter.
“Man, this team can be special. I honestly didn’t know what to expect because there’s so many new pieces and so many different faces,” head coach Sam Purcell said. “I was concerned about a couple of things. Memphis rebounding, we had to keep them off the boards and for us to win 61-33 tells me a lot about my team.”
The third-year starter Powe finished the night with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a team-high 36 minutes. Destiney McPhaul came off the bench and played 21 minutes while dropping in 11 points.
State forced 14 turnovers in the game with 23 points off of turnovers. The Bulldogs also dominated the paint with a 46-16 advantage and had nine blocks with 15 assists.
It’s a great start for the Bulldogs but the team is set for a quick turnaround this weekend. State hosts Alcorn State on Sunday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. inside the Hump.
“I’m not going to stay letting up on them at all. We’ve got another level we can get,” Purcell said. “For us to compete for championships we can’t play the scoreboard, we’ve got to play every possession and that’s my focus right now.”
