OXFORD — Mississippi State had Sunday’s win, and a season sweep of its in-state rival, right in its grasp.
That would have seemed unfathomable after the first five minutes, during which the Bulldogs’ defense had shown no signs of improvement from last weekend’s 20-point loss to Florida and allowed the Rebels to race out to a 12-point lead. But MSU weathered the storm and rallied back to go ahead by eight in the fourth quarter, moving to the brink of its fifth consecutive road victory.
And then the wheels fell off. The Bulldogs missed their last six shots of regulation and were unable to keep Ole Miss off the offensive glass as Madison Scott’s layup with three seconds left forced overtime. A 9-0 run by the Rebels in the extra session sent MSU to a heartbreaking 75-71 defeat.
“Madison Scott, I’m going to say it, she’s a pro,” Bulldogs head coach Sam Purcell said. “When you’re a pro, you just find a way to make plays. For her to hit that shot to force overtime speaks volumes of that young lady.”
Ole Miss came out attacking the basket and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line within the game’s first three minutes, but MSU (20-7, 7-5 Southeastern Conference) began to find some rhythm offensively late in the first quarter. Darrione Rogers and Jerkaila Jordan each connected from 3-point range, and Lauren Park-Lane hit a jumper in the paint on the Bulldogs’ final possession of the period to cut the deficit to 22-18.
MSU trailed by six at halftime but kept grinding in the third quarter, with Rogers twice tying the game on 3-pointers and an Erynn Barnum layup giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the afternoon. Jessika Carter, playing through a high-ankle sprain that she sustained a week ago against the Gators, made a turnaround baseline jumper that extended the visitors’ advantage to 61-53 at the five-minute mark of the fourth.
“It was the missed free throw box-outs,” Purcell said. “The plays where we could have extended the lead, could have kept that safe lead, but when you don’t do those little things, the crowd got involved, and we just weren’t able to put it away.”
Entering Sunday, the Bulldogs were 38-0 under Purcell when leading with five minutes left in regulation. But the Rebels (18-7, 8-4) found the right formula to come from behind. Carter, who did not practice all week until Saturday, fouled out with a minute and a half left and MSU ahead by four, and with her on the bench, Ole Miss dominated on the offensive boards.
The Rebels pulled down 20 offensive rebounds — the second-most the Bulldogs have allowed in a game all year — with a combined 13 going to Rita Igbokwe and Kennedy Todd-Williams.
“I knew they weren’t going to box me out,” Todd-Williams said. “I knew the scout well. Just doing anything it takes for us to win the game, and that was huge for us.”
Jordan led MSU with 18 points, but her shot as time expired in regulation came up short and hit the front rim. Barnum moved into the center position with Carter out and scored the first four points of overtime, giving her 16 for the game, before Ole Miss asserted control.
Park-Lane only spent 81 seconds of game time on the bench and struggled to take care of the ball, turning it over six times — equalling her worst game of the season in that department — despite her eight assists. As a team, the Bulldogs committed 19 turnovers, and the Rebels got to the foul line 30 times to just 12 for MSU.
The Bulldogs, who fell out of a top-four spot in the SEC standings, will be in must-win territory when they return to Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday night to host Kentucky. MSU defeated the Wildcats (10-16, 3-9) on the road on Feb. 1, but needed to rally from a six-point deficit in the final minute of regulation that night before winning by three in overtime.
“My team knows what’s up,” Purcell said. “You have to protect home and steal one on the road. That’s why there’s a sour taste, because this was a great opportunity to steal one on the road. Now we have to have the mentality, we have to protect one here Thursday at home against Kentucky.”
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