Mississippi State women’s basketball runs past Memphis, 100-56

Nov. 7, 2024 – Mississippi State women’s basketball ran past Memphis 100-56 in its 2024-25 season opener inside Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday night. 

Graduate student guard Eniya Russell turned in a career-high 26 points on 10-15 from the field and 4-8 from three and junior center Madina Okot also added a double-double performance of 14 points and 17 rebounds in their Mississippi State debuts. Junior guard/forward Debreasha Powe posted 16 points behind a 4-8 performance from behind the arc. 

Redshirt junior Destiney McPhaul filled the stat sheet with 11 points, three assists and three steals to make it four Bulldogs in double figures. 

Mississippi State scored 100 points for the third time under Head Coach Sam Purcell and the second time in a season opener. The Bulldogs filled the stat sheet as 12 players scored points and 13 saw action on the night. 

Mississippi State jumped out to an early 23-13 lead behind seven points and five rebounds from Okot. A back-and-forth second quarter saw the Bulldog enter halftime with a 36-25 advantage. 

Mississippi State turned in a 34 point third quarter to open a 70-44 lead at the end of the third quarter. Russell turned in 12 of her career-high total in the frame on 5-7 from the field. 

Senior forward/center Kayla Thomas buried a pair of free throws to earn its largest lead of the contest of 44 points at the eventual final score with eight seconds left in regulation. 

Mississippi State boasted a 46-16 advantage in points in the paint and 23-4 in points off the turnovers. The Bulldogs outrebounded their opponent 61-33 on the night. 

Mississippi State remains home to take on in-state opponent Alcorn State on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.