STARKVILLE — Even against a team with the length and shot-blocking prowess of Kentucky, Mississippi State head coach Sam Purcell wants his Bulldogs to play through the post.

MSU center Madina Okot had overpowered most of the bigs she faced in non-conference play, but she met her match Thursday night against the No. 16 Wildcats and their post duo of Clara Strack and Teonni Key. Foul trouble limited Okot to 12 minutes on the floor, and two of her four missed shots were blocked layups.

“We have to do a better job making sure we get her touches. We have to play off of her,” Purcell said Friday. “Stay within the sets, let her roll hard, give her the ball. She’s as good as anybody to require a double team (and) free up the offense. If anything, we should have gotten more opportunities for her.”

With Kentucky red-hot from distance and building a large early lead, Jerkaila Jordan and Eniya Russell began to force up shots more than they usually do, which diminished Okot’s paint touches. The Bulldogs (13-2, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) did get 18 quality minutes off the bench from sophomore Quanirah Montague, whose 13 points put her in double figures for just the second time this season.

Okot is still the national leader in field goal percentage, making 71.6% of her shots, and Thursday was just her second game shooting below 50% from the floor.

“What a joy to coach a kid that when she does shoot the ball, it’s pretty much going in,” Purcell said. “Sometimes the best experience is learned.”

MSU was at full strength for Thursday night’s game, though it was not clear whether that would be the case until earlier that day. Sharpshooting wing Debreasha Powe had missed the Bulldogs’ last two games with a foot injury and Purcell had previously expected her to be out another week, but she was listed as probable on Wednesday night’s injury report and taken off of it entirely pregame.

Powe is still working her way back to top form, though. She played 20 minutes and missed all three of her shots, adding one rebound, one steal and one turnover. Jordan and point guard Denim DeShields were also on the initial injury report before being cleared on the updated version.

“Shout out to my medical staff,” Purcell said. “They’ve been banged up and bruised, Powe especially. You could see a little bit of fatigue when you watch the film. She obviously didn’t play (the last game) before Christmas, had Christmas break, we were slowly trying to see where she was at. The medical staff felt she was great, so we got her in there. It’s the bangs and the bruises behind the scenes.”

Scouting South Carolina

The No. 2 Gamecocks (13-1, 1-0) became the 10th team in NCAA history to complete an undefeated national championship season last year, with six of those seasons belonging to Connecticut. Head coach Dawn Staley’s team lost by five points at UCLA, which has since ascended to the top spot in the polls, on Nov. 24 but has won eight straight since, opening SEC play with an 83-52 road victory over Missouri.

South Carolina is at its best on defense, allowing 54.4 points per game, but where the Gamecocks truly excel is in the fundamentals. They turn the ball over 11.8 times per contest, the fewest in the conference, and also commit the fewest fouls per game in the SEC.

“I can’t say enough things about them,” Purcell said. “They’re the standard. They’re the bar. (Staley) is just absolutely loaded.”

The offensive production is extremely balanced for South Carolina — Te-Hina Paopao leads the way with 11.4 points per game, and the two other players averaging double figures, Joyce Edwards and MiLaysia Fulwiley, both come off the bench. Paopao and Bree Hall are the Gamecocks’ biggest outside shooting threats for a team that has beaten four opponents currently ranked in the AP Top 25.

MSU fell by 19 to the Gamecocks on the road last season, but in the teams’ last matchup in Starkville, the Bulldogs led by seven after a quarter before South Carolina ultimately earned a 58-51 win. Purcell is no stranger to hosting the defending national champions, either, as MSU knocked off LSU last January at Humphrey Coliseum in front of a sold-out crowd.

“There’s no better feeling than when you come off the road and then come home,” Purcell said. “I’m urging our fans to come out and support like no other. It’s going to be an absolute dogfight, but we’re going to give it our best.”