STARKVILLE — The final score on the JumboTron of Humphrey Coliseum read South Carolina 58, Mississippi State 51.
However, the nearly 6,000 fans who showed up reacted differently to what was a tough loss.
As fans left The Hump, an ovation overcame the Bulldog faithful, a show of appreciation for the fight MSU put in against the No. 1 team in the country in women’s basketball.
A seven-point loss wasn’t what head coach Sam Purcell and his team drew up heading into Sunday’s primetime matchup on ESPN2, but what a game it turned out to be.
“It made me cry, shoot,” Purcell said. “I mean it’s awesome. It really is. That’s how I really felt when it first started … I want this program back. That applause told us to keep fighting, we got your back. That was the statement I’ve been looking for, and I know it’s going to fuel up my girls.”
Mississippi State (12-5, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) was more than fueled up for Sunday’s game, once the premier matchup of SEC women’s basketball just a few seasons ago.
The Bulldogs certainly came out of the gates evoking memories of those past matchups, taking a 19-12 lead after the first quarter, the largest deficit that the Gamecocks had faced in SEC play this season.
For as good of a start as Mississippi State had, however, South Carolina showed exactly why it’s the defending national champion, storming back with a 20-7 second quarter to take a 32-26 lead into the half.
“I thought that (Mississippi State) today played with energy, with effort,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said. “The crowd got into it. They hit big shots, they found themselves always in the basketball game. Sometimes, it definitely takes four quarters to actually win a game in our league.”
The Gamecocks (16-0, 4-0 SEC) only needed that second quarter to solidify themselves in Sunday’s game, thanks in large part to the offensive glass, a statline that they dominated in.
Not only did South Carolina outrebound Mississippi State 53-35 but 22 of those rebounds came on the offensive glass as the Gamecocks were plus-15 in that category over the Bulldogs.
Those 22 offensive rebounds led to 20 second-chance points compared to just two for Mississippi State.
MSU knew about the size advantage, starting with all-American forward Aliyah Boston, but despite the rebound margin, the Bulldogs kept themselves in the game throughout, holding South Carolina to its lowest point total of the season in the process.
“We keep telling ourselves that we’re going to have to climb this mountain,” forward Debreasha Powe said. “We said we’re going to have to stick together, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re actually really proud of us, so if we stick together and keep coming into the gym and working hard, we’re going to be just fine.”
The seven-point scoreline didn’t truly reflect what was a closely contested matchup throughout. The Bulldogs, like they did in the first quarter, came out throwing haymakers to begin the second half, cutting the deficit to as little as one.
Despite a bit more separation in the fourth quarter, that fight continued, fueled by a nine-point quarter from forward Jessika Carter.
“It was time to turn it on,” Carter said. “My teammates don’t let me get down on myself. In the first half, it wasn’t working for me. Going into the fourth, my teammates told me they needed me, and I had to do what I had to do.”
Carter’s and MSU’s efforts weren’t enough, but as a measuring stick, putting up this performance against the best team in the nation shows a lot about the Bulldogs this season.
Talking postgame, Purcell said he’s not a believer in moral victories, but moving forward, there are some positive sticking points that MSU needs to build upon as the SEC season progresses.
“That’s what I told them at half and at the end of the game, I said, ‘Don’t let our circle break,’” Purcell said. “… I told them that there were two ways we can go into this game. We can point fingers and let others tell us what we need to do, or we can figure out what we need to do ourselves and I thought we did that tonight.”
The Bulldogs get a much-needed weeklong break before their next game, playing Texas A&M (5-9, 0-4 SEC) at 2 p.m. Sunday in College Station.
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