Bulldogs fall in Oxford
Credit: Mississippi State Athletics news release
Mississippi State women’s basketball fell to Ole Miss Thursday in Oxford, 78-63. The loss ends a three-game winning streak for the Bulldogs and moves their record to 15-6 overall and 4-4 in the SEC.
The Bulldogs faced their largest deficit at the half, trailing by 14. Scoring just eight points in the first quarter, State could not gain any momentum shooting 20% from the field in the first. The Bulldogs closed out the game shooting 41% from the floor and 25% from behind the arc, while Ole Miss shot 50% from the floor and 47% from three.
Jessika Carter led the team with 18 points, four rebounds, and two blocks. JerKaila Jordan grabbed 10 rebounds, her second game this season with double-digit rebounds. Ahlana Smith and Asianae Johnson scored in double figures, Smith with 11 points and Johnson with 10. Anastasia Hayes led the team again with four assists.
Game Notes
• State had just 12 assists on the night, tying their third-lowest of the season
• State outscored the Rebels, 34-28, in the paint
• Ramani Parker knocked down her first three-pointer since Nov. 26 against Nebraska, her third three-point shot of the season
Quoting Coach Sam Purcell
Opening Statement
“Welcome to the SEC. This league is an absolute beast, top to bottom, there are great teams. I said it before when I was taking this job, Ole Miss is an NCAA tournament team. I know they’ve lost two in a row prior to this but they were healthy, they were back, and they were dangerous because they’re long [and] athletic. [Coach] Yo I can’t say enough good things. She’s done a great job turning this program around, and they get after it, and they believe in defense, and unfortunately, in a game like we played tonight, they were phenomenal on the offensive end. It’s just one of those games where we try to get after it, we clawed, my kids were trying to contest shots and calls went against us and they just found a way to make some unbelievable shots. I thought that the beginning for us is kind of uncharacteristic with the slow start in the first quarter. We have to give credit to Ole Miss, they were ready and came out and punched us in the face and from there we were in a dog fight just trying to stay in the game and claw back.”
Up Next
On Sunday, MSU will travel to Athens, Ga., for a 1 p.m. CT contest against Georgia. Mississippi State’s next home game will be Monday, Feb. 6, against Tennessee at 6 p.m.
