Sam Purcell had no time to hear about the mistakes his team made Thursday night. All that mattered to Mississippi State’s head coach was that his team pulled out a win it badly needed on the road over Vanderbilt.
The Bulldogs were 2-for-27 from 3-point range. They turned the ball over 22 times, leading to 26 points for the Commodores. And yet, they gutted it out in double overtime, riding a monster performance on the offensive glass to an 85-77 victory at Memorial Gymnasium.
“There was a moment early in this game that we knew we could win it,” Purcell said. “We had adversity. We had foul trouble. Debreasha Powe, who I would put my money on every single day of the week, couldn’t hit an open 3. You just had some unbelievable plays by our bigs to dominate the boards.”
Madina Okot had a career night with 21 points and 23 rebounds to go along with two blocks and four steals. Quanirah Montague had a double-double of her own with 15 points and 12 boards in 19 minutes, and the two even shared the floor at times down the stretch.
MSU (18-8, 5-7 Southeastern Conference) had a 65-43 edge in total rebounding, including 26-12 on the offensive end. The Bulldogs scored 24 second-chance points to Vanderbilt’s nine and had a whopping 66 points in the paint.
“If this one game hasn’t been our season, I don’t know what is,” Purcell said. “We scored 85 points in a double-overtime thriller. My heart is about to fall out of my chest, and I know my kids haven’t gone to bed yet.”
The post duo was especially critical considering MSU’s leading scorer, Jerkaila Jordan, spent a significant chunk of the second half in the locker room dealing with a knee injury. The Bulldogs managed to take the lead heading into the fourth quarter with Jordan out, and her ability to score at multiple levels helped steady things once she returned. Jordan matched Okot with 21 points despite finishing 0-for-6 from behind the arc.
MSU started ice-cold from everywhere on the floor — the Bulldogs made just four of 20 shots in the first quarter, after which they trailed 19-9. Jordan helped them climb back in the second with seven points in just over two minutes, and MSU’s deficit was just two at halftime.
With the Bulldogs trailing by seven in the fourth quarter, Jordan again took over. MSU was still down four in the final minute, but Jordan’s layup made it a one-possession game, and she made the game-tying layup 25 seconds layup off a Denim DeShields steal.
The Bulldogs squandered a few chances to put the game away in the first overtime, and Mikayla Blakes’ jumper just ahead of the buzzer necessitated a second extra period. This time, MSU pulled away as the Commodores (18-7, 5-6) missed their final eight shots.
Khamil Pierre led Vanderbilt with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Madison Greene had 17 points on 4-for-7 from distance. But the Bulldogs kept Blakes in check, holding the star freshman to a 4-for-19 night from the floor.
MSU has another opportunity for a road win Sunday when the Bulldogs visit Florida.
“The SEC is a beast,” Purcell said. “This is a huge win for us. We have plenty of games on the schedule, and this one doesn’t mean much if you turn around and lay an egg in the other ones.”
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 48 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 48 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
