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Refocused Bulldogs attempt to keep ball rolling with tough road trip to No. 15 Tennessee

3rupauk8_400x400by:Robbie Faulk•about 9 hours•

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Eniya Russell (Photo by Mike Mattina, Mississippi State Athletics)

Sam Purcell’s team was put to the test in the first week of SEC play.

After reeling off a 14-1 record in the first 15 games, Mississippi State was riding high heading into the conference schedule. Two humbling losses changed that as State was knocked down a few notches to top 15 teams in Kentucky and South Carolina.

Purcell saw his team fight back last week as they got a top 10 upset over Oklahoma 81-77, and then went on the road to knock off Georgia 79-68. Both games played out differently but ended with the same result.

After beating Oklahoma with some resiliency in the second half, State got the lead on UGA and kept it from the first quarter through the end of the contest. At the forefront of that win was State’s best 3-point shooting day of the year as MSU hit 14 from long range including four from Eniya Russell.  

“We’ve been in the gym. The kids have been able to do extra workouts so we’ve been doing morning sessions with extra shooting and then coming back to practice,” Purcell said. “I think it’s just a testimony to them for their hard work. We’re gelling. We’re finding Debreasha Powe now. They’re finding each other and putting in the work.”  

Jordan, Russell handling leadership roles for Bulldogs

Carrying State from the leadership side of things have been players that have been through the ups and downs of SEC play before. Russell and Jerkaila Jordan especially were huge for the Bulldogs last week as Jordan had 24 points in the win over Oklahoma and Russell finished with 21 at Georgia.

Jordan is averaging a team-best 15.6 points per game this season with 6.6 rebounds as she has a quest to leave her mark as one of the great Bulldogs of all time. For Russell, she’s enjoying her best year as a college basketball player with 13.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and a team-high 4.2 assists a game.

“Eniya Russell and Jerkaila Jordan are two special players. When you look across the country, you’ve got to have two players that can work and play together and their chemistry is coming on as strong as anybody,” Purcell said. “For them to be threats and also get our team involved to play to our strengths, that’s what I’ve seen the most.”

UT, Ole Miss makes for two more challenging games ahead

At 15-3 and 2-2 in league play, State is in a good spot early in the season. The Bulldogs are No. 32 in the NET and needing a boost there, but this week will provide those opportunities.

With a Sunday showdown with rival Ole Miss looming, State has another big game before that one even tips. It begins on Thursday as the Bulldogs will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the No. 15 Tennessee Lady Volunteers.

Former Marshall coach Kim Caldwell has taken over and already impressed in the team’s 14-2 start. UT has wins over Florida State and Iowa and two losses by a combined three points to Oklahoma and LSU. They average 96 points a game and force 26 turnovers making it a major challenge for the Bulldogs on Thursday (6 p.m., SEC Network).

“Our theme for this game is to weather the storm. It’s a different brand of basketball but within that, you’ve got to be able to read between the lines,” Purcell said of Tennessee. “You’ve got to take care of the basketball and own the paint. Within this style of play, it’s a dancing party.

“If you’re going to send that many people and if we secure the ball, I think one of our biggest strengths is we’re a four on three team. I don’t have to run sets, we can attack to score.”

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