It was another night to forget for Mississippi State on the basketball front. A day after the men’s team fell on the road at Kentucky, the women’s team was behind from wire to wire against rivals Ole Miss in Oxford, losing 93-68 at the Pavillion on Sunday.
The Bulldogs haven’t beaten Ole Miss in Oxford since 2020, a streak that will continue into 2027, and MSU head coach Sam Purcell is now 1-6 against the in-state rivals.
The 25-point loss on Sunday was the largest margin of defeat in the rivalry game since 1995.
The Bulldogs (14-4, 1-3 SEC) have now lost three conference games in a row since their win over Auburn on New Year’s Day, and opponents have been able to score at least 90 points in all three matchups.
Ole Miss saw prolific nights from Cotie McMahon and Sira Thienou, who finished with 21 and 20 points, respectively. The hosts got a complete performance from the role players as well, with 30 points off the bench. They scored 19 points off of MSU turnovers and were efficient scoring down low, picking up 48 points in the paint.
The Bulldogs had four players with at least 12 points, including Chandler Prater as joint top scorer with Madison Francis on 15 points. Prater was out in the loss against Tennessee, down to what Purcell called a coaches decision, but was efficient off the bench as one of MSU’s few bright sparks in Oxford.
MSU will play a fourth straight game against ranked opposition on Thursday, facing No. 7 Vanderbilt at home at 5:30 p.m.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 39 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 39 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
