A big week for Mississippi State freshmen featured a 30-point game from Madison Francis on Wednesday in a dominant win over Alabama State in Starkville, but Francis was ruled out of action on Saturday after taking a hit early against La Salle in Philadelphia.
Francis returned from the locker room to continue supporting her teammates from the sideline, and saw fellow Class of 2025 recruit Jaylah Lampley take her turn at leading the team on the scoresheet.
Lampley bagged 18 points for the Bulldogs while hometown hero Destiney McPhaul recorded a 16-point, 10 assist double-double in an 85-37 road win as the Bulldogs improved to 12-1 on the year.
“I think it was my teammates getting me going,” Lampley said. “My coaches put a lot of faith in me, and unfortunately, we had players out, and it was just next man up. I’ve got to come help deliver, be there for my team. That’s really what it was about.”
Lampley shared a similar sentiment to Francis after her big game on Wednesday, embracing a “whatever it takes” mentality in evaluating her performance. She recognized the importance of stepping up after seeing a teammate go down and what the homecoming meant for McPhaul, and wanted to do her part to make sure the team delivered a complete performance.
It goes back to her upbringing, coming from a basketball family with parents who are coaches, which has helped her focus on what needs to happen next.
“I just try to do whatever my team needs to win. If I got to be the best rebounder, if I got to be the best defender, if I got to hit my free throws, whatever it is. I’m there for my team,” Lampley said. “I thank my parents, though, because they prepared me in advance. So I feel like I’m ready for the moment. I’m excited for the SEC, but we have one more game left on the 28th, so I’m just focused on that right now.”
Both Lampley and Francis have earned important roles early on in their respective careers as Bulldogs, and they’ve quickly become consistent contributors as conference play looms.
While Francis has become a starter at forward, Lampley has made the most of minutes off the bench, averaging 9.9 points and just over five rebounds per game at guard.
“She’s good enough to start, but what she does for my team right now is she provides that sixth player-of-the-year energy,” head coach Sam Purcell said of Lampley’s performance. “And when you can go for 18 points, 6 rebounds, for plus-46 in the box score, that’s a heck of a number for our freshman that when she comes back from Christmas, I’m going to have a graduation party, and all of them are going to have to be sophomores because here comes the SEC.”
The Bulldogs will face a difficult start to conference play in January, facing six ranked opponents in their first eight SEC games. In preparation for the slate, Purcell has focused heavily on the mentality and reinforcing fundamentals. One area was becoming a “four-quarter team,” finishing with wins in all four frames of action, which the Bulldogs were able to accomplish on Saturday with a dominant defensive display.
“We’ve got to be as strong at the top as the bottom, if we’re going to have a solid team. And what you saw them is them owning their part and making sure that we stay to the standards and most importantly finish that quarter.”
The Bulldogs will return home for their final nonconference game of the season against Samford at 2 p.m. Sunday. SEC play will begin at home against Auburn on New Year’s Day.
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