STARKVILLE — Mississippi State head coach Sam Purcell asked for more of his team this week in practice. Leading into a big game against Pittsburgh in the SEC/ACC Challenge at home, he wanted a packed crowd and a team worthy of the occasion. Their Tuesday practice saw the team go against each other for the first time in the regular season, with the goal of “hitting bodies” to improve the team’s focus and intensity as the season ramps up going into SEC play.
The result? According to Favour Nwaedozi: “It was fun.”
As one of the bigger players on the team, in terms of both height and wingspan, there is little doubt that Nwaedozi was able to flex her game a bit in practice, but more importantly, it carried into Thursday as anticipated.
The Bulldogs improved to 8-1 with a dominant 79-44 win over the Panthers, taking a 42-14 halftime advantage thanks to a suffocating defense. Pitt shot just 15% from the floor, with guards Mikayla Johnson and Theresa Hagans going a combined 3-28 shooting.
However, Purcell wanted to see a “four-quarter team,” so the drop off at the end of the game still wasn’t to his liking. For him, it was owed to the fans who braved the misty, cold weather as much as it was owed to themselves.
“Very proud, but to your point, the standard is the standard,” he said when asked of Pitt’s 16-9 closing quarter. “So I am going to talk to my team about that fourth quarter. I don’t care if you haven’t played much, or you are playing, there’s a way we’re going to play. What I’m going to tell them is I’m really proud of our fanbase who showed up, and they didn’t leave. I told them at the beginning of the fourth quarter, we have an obligation to put a good product on the floor and play the right way.”
The star of the game for MSU was Destiney McPhaul, who answered the call to take more responsibility on the court with a 22-point performance on 8-13 shooting.
“We’ve talked about it. I’ve made blunt statements as we create roles within our team,” Purcell said. “She has to take on an alpha-dog mentality for us to do what we need to do in January and February.”
McPhaul hasn’t had many, if any, bad games this season, but she hasn’t reached the heights she set with a new personal-best of 20 points on opening night against Davidson. She hadn’t reached double digits in any of the last three games, so her new personal-best of 22 served as a strong reminder of her prolific scoring ability.
“This is a young lady who was the No. 1 player in the country two years ago from a junior college, came in unselfish, and now she has the opportunity to get back to her natural position,” Purcell added. “I’ve blown the whistles, we made her do pushups, we’ve told her she’s playing soft. We’re doing everything we can to make sure we get nights like this, because when she’s dialed in, she’s really good.”
Another standout from Thursday was Madison Francis, a recent recipient of a National Freshman of the Week award, who registered her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She reached double digits in scoring for the seventh time in her true freshman campaign, further showcasing the abilities that made her a highly touted prospect.
Francis didn’t start the first couple of games, but her contributions on and off the court have seen her earn an important role early in her young career.
“My favorite thing outside of her stats is who she is as a person,” Purcell said. “Those pictures where she celebrates with her teammates, it brings joy. You hear me talk about it all the time: I’m big on karma. How you treat others is how life comes back and treats you, and how she loves her teammates having success, there’s no doubt that’s why she’s playing the game at an all-time high.”
The Bulldogs will return to action at The Hump against Charlotte at 7 p.m. Sunday.
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