STARKVILLE — Potentially the loudest crowd all season went into near-hysteria in the third quarter of MSU’s win over Georgia State on Friday. Bulldog senior guard Destiney McPhaul hit a three-pointer to send the Bulldogs up 67-33.
There was some confusion from head coach Sam Purcell as to why the crowd of local elementary kids was screaming and gesturing in unison, but the generational humor gap was soon bridged, and he was informed of the nonsensical, absurd “six-seven” joke.
“I learned this word, ‘six-seven,’” Purcell said. “So, for us to miss a layup, get a rebound, throw it out, and make 67, it made for a cool day, especially to see those kids go crazy when that number came on the board. That’s what life’s about.”
“I really didn’t know until the timeout afterwards, but then I realized,” McPhaul said, aware of the reference but not aware of the score in the moment. “It was funny.”
More than 6,000 children from schools across the state were in attendance for the 11 a.m. game, continuing a young tradition of Education Day for the women’s basketball team. It certainly brought a different pace of energy to the arena despite the early tip-off time, and the Bulldogs were grateful for the support as they secured an 88-62 victory.
“It was an amazing opportunity,” Jaylah Lampley said. “We’re grateful that almost every school in Starkville came to support us. It was fun performing, (McPhaul) hit that shot and got the six-seven people going. That all matters, and when they have energy, it gives us energy and helps us perform.”
“I can’t wait for the game next year,” Purcell said. “From what I understand, we never did this before I got here, so this is a great game for the state, because as a state school, what are we about? There’s got to be more than just basketball.”
The Bulldogs ran away with the game, scoring 57 points over the second and third quarters to take a dominant lead. The gap meant plenty of rotation, with five Bulldogs scoring in double digits. Favour Nwaedozi led the team with 17 points, going an efficient 7-10 from the field.
MSU also got going from beyond the arc, collectively hitting 10-20 three pointers.
Purcell loved the result, but he still had his takeaways for what to work on next.
He was disappointed with the defensive effort in the second half, particularly the number of quick breaks the Panthers were able to find. The Panthers kept pace over the course of the second half, and the coach looked to the lack of intensity in defending the transitions.
“Today was hard… we didn’t press because Georgia State is really athletic,” he said when asked about playing to the energy and athleticism of the team. “So, to the point in question, we really couldn’t get after it. I used all my timeouts this game because I told them,’If I’m not pressing, and I form in a wall, they can’t score on the first or second pass,’ and today they did. That’s unacceptable for team defense. When we play South Carolina, LSU, Texas, they can get to the rim as good as anyone in the country. I’m hoping we can learn that lesson and use our speed to form hard walls, to force multiple efforts where you’re making teams go three, four, five passes to score.”
MSU has a quick turnaround, playing its next game against Mississippi Valley State on Sunday at 2 p.m. at The Hump. It will be another test of rotations, pairings and new ideas as the Bulldogs gear up for a jump in competition the following week, traveling to Lubbock for a clash with Texas Tech on Nov. 20.
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