Thursday, November 7
Starkville, Miss.
6:30 p.m.
Mississippi State
1-0,0-0SEC
100
vs
56
Memphis
1-1,0-0AAC
1
2
3
4
F
Memphis
13
12
19
12
56
Mississippi St.
23
13
34
30
100
Mississippi State Runs Past Memphis, 100-56
November 07, 2024 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State women's basketball ran past Memphis, 100-56, in its 2024-25 season opener inside Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday night.
With the win, Mississippi State improved to 18-1 overall under Head Coach Sam Purcell and 79-3 over the last 10 seasons in non-conference home games. Mississippi State extended its win streak to six-straight in Memphis series.
"This team can be special," said Purcell. "I know how special we could be, but I'm not going to let up on them at all. We've got another level we can get to. On opening night, I didn't know what to expect because there are so many new pieces and new faces, but I learned a lot of great things about this team tonight."
The story for Mississippi State was the impressive debuts of multiple transfers. Graduate student guard Eniya Russell introduced herself to the crowd with a career-high 26 points on 10-15 from the field and 4-8 from three in 25 minutes, while junior center Madina Okot added a double-double performance of 14 points and 17 rebounds in 23 minutes.
The three-point field goals made and attempted were also career-highs for Russell.
Redshirt junior guard Destiney McPhaul filled the stat sheet with 11 points, three assists and three steals in 21 minutes. Three-year starter junior guard/forward Debreasha Powe posted 16 points behind a 4-8 performance from behind the arc to make it four Bulldogs in double-figures on the night. It marked her 14th career game with three-plus threes.
Mississippi State eclipsed 100 points for the third time overall and the second time in a season opener under Purcell. The Bulldogs filled the stat sheet with 12 players scoring points and 13 logging minutes.
Mississippi State jumped out an early 14-8 lead at the initial media timeout after back-to-back scores from McPhaul. The Bulldogs maintained that lead to secure a 23-13 margin behind seven points and five rebounds through the first 10 minutes from Okot. A back-and-forth second period saw Mississippi State head into the locker room with a 36-25 advantage.
Mississippi State turned in a 34-point third quarter in which it went 13-19 from the field in the period to extend its lead to 70-44 heading into the final frame. Russell turned in 12 of her career-high total in the quarter.
Senior forward/center Kayla Thomas buried a pair of free throws to earn Mississippi State its largest lead of 44 points and post the eventual final score with eight seconds left in regulation. Mississippi State scored 30 more points in the fourth quarter for the most points scored in a half under Purcell with 64 and the most overall since Mississippi State scored 66 points in the first half against Troy on Nov. 18, 2019.
Mississippi State boasted a 46-16 advantage in points in the paint and 23-4 in points off the turnovers. The Bulldogs outrebounded their opponent 61-33.
Mississippi State continues its five-game homestand when it takes on in-state opponent Alcorn State on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
With the win, Mississippi State improved to 18-1 overall under Head Coach Sam Purcell and 79-3 over the last 10 seasons in non-conference home games. Mississippi State extended its win streak to six-straight in Memphis series.
"This team can be special," said Purcell. "I know how special we could be, but I'm not going to let up on them at all. We've got another level we can get to. On opening night, I didn't know what to expect because there are so many new pieces and new faces, but I learned a lot of great things about this team tonight."
The story for Mississippi State was the impressive debuts of multiple transfers. Graduate student guard Eniya Russell introduced herself to the crowd with a career-high 26 points on 10-15 from the field and 4-8 from three in 25 minutes, while junior center Madina Okot added a double-double performance of 14 points and 17 rebounds in 23 minutes.
The three-point field goals made and attempted were also career-highs for Russell.
Redshirt junior guard Destiney McPhaul filled the stat sheet with 11 points, three assists and three steals in 21 minutes. Three-year starter junior guard/forward Debreasha Powe posted 16 points behind a 4-8 performance from behind the arc to make it four Bulldogs in double-figures on the night. It marked her 14th career game with three-plus threes.
Mississippi State eclipsed 100 points for the third time overall and the second time in a season opener under Purcell. The Bulldogs filled the stat sheet with 12 players scoring points and 13 logging minutes.
Mississippi State jumped out an early 14-8 lead at the initial media timeout after back-to-back scores from McPhaul. The Bulldogs maintained that lead to secure a 23-13 margin behind seven points and five rebounds through the first 10 minutes from Okot. A back-and-forth second period saw Mississippi State head into the locker room with a 36-25 advantage.
Mississippi State turned in a 34-point third quarter in which it went 13-19 from the field in the period to extend its lead to 70-44 heading into the final frame. Russell turned in 12 of her career-high total in the quarter.
Senior forward/center Kayla Thomas buried a pair of free throws to earn Mississippi State its largest lead of 44 points and post the eventual final score with eight seconds left in regulation. Mississippi State scored 30 more points in the fourth quarter for the most points scored in a half under Purcell with 64 and the most overall since Mississippi State scored 66 points in the first half against Troy on Nov. 18, 2019.
Mississippi State boasted a 46-16 advantage in points in the paint and 23-4 in points off the turnovers. The Bulldogs outrebounded their opponent 61-33.
Mississippi State continues its five-game homestand when it takes on in-state opponent Alcorn State on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
Team Stats
Mem
MS
FG%
.271
.507
3FG%
.276
.333
FT%
.588
.720
RB
33
61
TO
14
13
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
26
FGM
10
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
F/C
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