Mississippi State riding two-game win streak into tough week of SEC action

Bulldogs' head coach Sam Purcell shares his thoughts on his squad and their improvement throughout conference play.

After the first two games of conference play, there were a lot of question marks surrounding the Mississippi State women’s basketball team. They opened up their SEC schedule getting blown out by Kentucky. However, the next game they led by double digits in the first half against the defending national champions, South Carolina, before losing the lead and the game in the second half. The next week of action was highlighted by an upset over a top-ten Oklahoma team and a win on the road in Georgia.

So, what exactly can we expect from this Bulldog team? Their upcoming week of conference games are no joke either, as usual. First, they’ll travel to Knoxville on Thursday to take on a ranked Tennessee team before returning home to host rival Ole Miss on Sunday.

During head coach Sam Purcell’s press conference on Wednesday morning, he displayed confidence in his squad and how they’ve improved over the past couple weeks of difficult conference battles.

“What a great week last week. It was huge to watch how the season has unfolded with conference play with two tough ones,” said Purcell. “But being able to take two losses and learn from them, I truly believe that I’m watching my team gel.”

Jerkaila Jordan has led the way over the past few games when the team has needed her most. She’s averaged nearly 20 points per game through SEC play so far, consistently coming up with big shots and leadership on the floor to help the team. Eniya Russell has been another shining star, as she stepped up in a big way with 21 on the road in Athens to take down a solid Georgia team.

“You need to have two players that can work together and play together. I think their chemistry is coming on as strong as anybody,” said Purcell. “What I was excited about is that it has nothing to do with scoring. For them to be threats in terms of scoring but also to get our team involved to help us play to our strength is what I’ve seen the most and it’s why I’m excited about where we’re going.”

However, the smile on Purcell’s face lit up when asked about the other players on his roster too, and the confidence he has in his roster depth and how they’ve been stepping up whenever their name is called upon.

“The beautiful thing about losses is that you can learn a lot. I think we learned a lot from South Carolina. They don’t have a kid that scores over eleven points. They’re a team. That’s what I’ve been preaching with this group,” Purcell said. “We have a lot of special pieces. So, if our bench can understand that you don’t have to have a mentality that you have to be a starter to have success here, but value the minutes you come off the bench, then we can be a special team. I think they’re believing in that.”

Next up for the Bulldogs is a trip to the nation’s most efficient offense in Tennessee, averaging over 90 points per game. After that battle, the game many have circled on their calendars will be up next. Mississippi State will host a very talented Ole Miss team in Starkville on Sunday afternoon. More than just rivalry will be on the line, as the results of the game itself will serve a heavy focus in terms of league standings and season-long implications.

Coach Purcell knows that he and his squad will be ready against a Rebels team that had been ranked for the majority of the season before falling out this past week. With school back in session now, he made a plea to the Bulldog students and fans for Sunday’s game at Humphrey Coliseum.

“This game has been an absolute war and I expect nothing less. That’s why I’m asking our students and our fanbase to show up and show out like never before,” said Purcell. “When we play at the Hump and it’s loud, it’s such a huge advantage for us and we’re going to need that here Sunday.

Mississippi State (15-3, 2-2) takes on #15 Tennessee (14-2, 2-2) Thursday at 6 PM in Knoxville. Their next game will be against Ole Miss (11-5, 2-2) in Starkville on Sunday at 2 PM.