Mississippi State could have been subject to a letdown game after Monday night’s double-overtime win over Tennessee in Starkville.
Instead, the Bulldogs took care of business on the road Thursday to get back above .500 in Southeastern Conference play.
MSU (17-7, 6-5 SEC) handled Florida (14-10, 3-8 SEC) by a 73-56 score at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida.
Mississippi State scored 20 points in the first quarter, held Florida to just five in the second and even finished strong with a 25-point fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs held the Gators to just 32.2 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent from 3. Mississippi State, meanwhile, was 46.9 percent from the floor and a scorching 9 of 18 from deep.
Guard JerKaila Jordan scored 20 points and made all four of her 3-point attempts. A pair of transfers contributed for the Bulldogs: Ahlana Smith added 12 points, and Asianae Johnson had 11.
Mississippi State led for good from the 3:18 mark of the first quarter on a 3-ball by Anastasia Hayes.
The Bulldogs led by 11 at halftime and stretched their lead to as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter.
KK Deans led Florida with 17 points. No other Gator finished in double digits.
MSU will host Texas A&M (6-15, 1-10 SEC) at 2 p.m. Sunday at Humphrey Coliseum.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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