Mississippi State’s game plan for Monday night, naturally, revolved around slowing down USC superstar JuJu Watkins.
So when Watkins was writhing around on the floor in serious pain midway through the first quarter, clutching her right knee before being carried off the court, it was a serious blow for the Trojans, but it also forced the Bulldogs to both attack and defend USC differently.
While the No. 1 seed Trojans did not miss a beat without one of the faces of women’s college basketball, No. 9 seed MSU could not get anything going on offense or defense. Led by 36 points from Stanford transfer Kiki Iriafen at power forward, USC kept its foot on the gas for all four quarters in a 96-59 thrashing of the Bulldogs, ending MSU’s season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
“We got our butt kicked by a really good team. They played inspired when JuJu went down,” Bulldogs head coach Sam Purcell said. “(Iriafen) is one of the best players in the country, and she was electric. We had our center on her, a guard on her, we doubled her, we went 2-3 (zone), man-to-man, we trapped her. We never stopped her. We threw the whole kitchen sink and the house, but she was just electric, and that’s what great players do.”
MSU (22-12) was already in a big hole when Watkins went down, missing its first seven shots and 13 of its first 14. The Trojans (30-3) were 9-for-14 from the floor in the first quarter, after which they already led by 20. Iriafen was remarkably efficient, making 16 of 22 shots, but sharpshooter Avery Howell scored 18 points off the bench, and USC had assists on 29 of its 35 made field goals.
That big early deficit sped the Bulldogs up offensively and allowed the Trojans to pressure the ball. That prevented MSU from running its typical sets and forced them into tough shots inside against USC’s superior length. Jerkaila Jordan, in her final college game, led the Bulldogs with 17 points but needed 24 shots to do it, making just six of them.
Jordan started every game for MSU over the last four years and is fifth in program history in scoring with 1,899 career points.
“She loves Mississippi State and she loved this program, and she was one of my lead recruiters in helping put this team together,” Purcell said. “Coaches get too much credit for wins and losses. A player like her, when we look at the history of our program, you look at a kid who played every single night like it was her last game. You just love that as a coach. You want that out of every player, but every player isn’t wired like that.”
A short baseline jumper from Jordan started a 9-0 Bulldogs run in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to 15. But MSU did not make a field goal over the last three minutes of the half, and when Rayah Marshall — who had attempted five 3-pointers all season before this game — banked one in at the buzzer, the Bulldogs trailed by 23.
Iriafen then went on a 10-0 run by herself in the third quarter to push the Trojans’ lead to 30. It reached 46 on three different occasions in the fourth. The Trojans scored 27 points off 20 MSU turnovers.
“Tonight was not our night. USC deserves all the flowers. They were unbelievable and they were the better team,” Purcell said. “That’s not what you want. You want them tight because they’re trying to defend their home.”
After the Bulldogs fell apart late last season and narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament, Purcell had to retool most of the roster as well as the coaching staff, adding six new rotation players and four new assistant coaches. Despite finishing 7-9 in Southeastern Conference play, MSU still made the tournament with room to spare and reached the second round for the second time in three years under Purcell.
Graduate transfer Eniya Russell, who had 11 points Monday night, is also out of eligibility, as is reserve post player Kayla Thomas. Key players like Debreasha Powe, Denim DeShields and Destiney McPhaul all have the option to return for next season.
“I remember first committing to Mississippi State. It was nothing like this,” Jordan said. “If I had a checklist, I’ve checked everything off the list of my college career. I’ve played in sold-out crowds, I’ve played against the best of the best. I’ll just say thank you to this program as a whole. Thank you to the Starkville community. I’m just very grateful.”
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