STARKVILLE — A signature win in prime time at Humphrey Coliseum is the kind of thing head coach Sam Purcell would have dreamed about since he first took the job at Mississippi State, and tonight his team got just that. 

The Bulldogs (16-7, 5-5 Southeastern Conference) picked up a dramatic double-overtime victory over Tennessee (17-9, 9-2 SEC), delivering a clutch offensive performance to remedy the doubts from their last two games. 

“Magical. It really was,” Purcell said of the 91-90 double overtime win. “I mean, what a game for women’s basketball. Double overtime, I mean I grew up and I sit at the bars, or I go out to eat, and when those games come on, it’s like news alert, news alert!”

The win ends a short but frustrating two-game losing streak after two blowout losses on the road. It’s quite the pick-me-up, and it serves as a strong reminder of what Mississippi State is capable of. The Bulldogs set the tone on offense and overcame arguably both Tennessee and the officiating to pick up a Quadrant 1 win, which they will hope is the first of many as they navigate the final stretch of their SEC schedule. 

“My kids were hurting. We all were,” Purcell said, reflecting on the Bulldogs’ losses to Ole Miss and Georgia. “We came here with big dreams and big goals, and we’ve been fighting. Unfortunately I come in here and I keep on saying, ‘Oh, we’re just a little short,’ you know. We talk about the same things, but like I told them, you’ve got to look in the mirror, and you can’t be denied.”

The Bulldogs went pretty much step for step with the Vols throughout the game. The visitors set the tone in Knoxville, but it was the Bulldogs’ turn this time around to set the pace with a rotating group of players. Purcell had to deal with time restrictions before fouls and fatigue factored in, but the strength in rotation was a boost with Jessika Carter playing limited minutes and eventually fouling out. 

Denae Carter was limited as well, making a return from her meniscus injury suffered against Texas A&M. She got a bucket in her first offensive play on the floor and drove to set up a big 3-pointer from Ahlana Smith as well in her brief second-quarter cameo. She and Ramani Parker both had to fill in down low, and both came up with big moments to help swing the game. 

In fact, the whole team was firing, almost out of necessity. Eight players had to play at least 15 minutes, and the heavy rotation was necessary to keep their production going. JerKaila Jordan’s 24 points, Asianae Johnson’s 16 points and Anastasia Hayes’ 14 points perfectly reflect each of their contributions coming in and taking over when it was their time to do so. 

“My teammates had confidence,” Hayes said after the game. “Everybody had confidence. We were all in it together. We never put our heads down. We told each other we fought too hard to lose the game, and so when it came down to crunch time, we worked for these moments, we live for these moments, and we executed and did what we had to do to get the win.” 

The officiating in the fourth quarter no doubt impacted Tennessee’s ability to keep pace with the Bulldogs despite their strong offensive showing. The fouls in the fourth became so egregious that Purcell had to be held back from berating the referees. The technical free throws that followed resulted in a four-point swing late to tie the game, which would eventually go to overtime, but it showed the fight Purcell had on the night as well. 

The first overtime period was more of the same. Every time the Bulldogs got ahead, the Vols responded by getting to the line. Rickea Jackson, who finished with 28 points against her former team, went 13 of 13 from the stripe. By the end of the night, 37 of the Vols’ points came from the line, as Tennessee went 37 of 44 as a team. 

Eventually, in the second period of overtime, the Bulldogs created separation they wouldn’t give up. More free throws and a late prayer shot from the Vols cut the lead to one, but the Bulldogs inbounded and ran the clock out with just a couple seconds left. 

Purcell and his team could breathe again, and now they have new life as they have the signature win they’ve been looking for. 

“For us to get the win, and again obviously I have a lot of respect for Tennessee and that team, they’re really good, but for us to have a special game, on primetime, on a Monday, there weren’t many games on tonight,” Purcell said. “So it’s huge for our program, it’s huge for our university, but we’ve got to go back to work tomorrow.”

The Bulldogs are back on the road for their next game, heading to Gainesville for a date with Florida (14-9, 3-7 SEC) at 6 p.m. Thursday. After that, Mississippi State returns home to face Texas A&M (6-15, 1-10 SEC) at 2 p.m. Sunday.