The Mississippi State University women’s basketball team cruised to a 60-45 win over the University of Alabama Sunday evening in Humphrey Coliseum.
Before tipoff, the Bulldogs honored graduating seniors Anastasia Hayes, Ahlana Smith, Asianae Johnson and Kourtney Weber.
Bulldogs head coach Sam Purcell said he was grateful for Sunday’s fan support and wanted the team to give it its all for the seniors. 
“We had what, 6,000 in attendance tonight? And it was felt, especially the energy that my seniors deserve, what a special group,” Purcell said. “We went into the game, and we talked about it. Tonight, there’s something different than a normal night. You want to make sure you go out and give it your all for four quarters because you know the seniors have done that, and that’s the biggest compliment you can give them for what they’ve done for this program.”
The victory over the Crimson Tide earned the Bulldogs another quad-one win to help boost MSU’s NCAA Tournament resume heading into March. Lacking starter Jessika Carter, however, proved to be a difficult task for the Bulldogs at times against a tough Alabama squad.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs. With 3:06 remaining in the first half, Ramani Parker nailed a three-pointer as the shot clock expired, giving MSU a slim 10-9 lead. The shot from Parker boosted MSU’s offensive attack, as the team went on a 10-2 run to close out the quarter ahead 17-11.
MSU’s offensive firepower continued in the second quarter. In the Bulldogs’ first possession, JerKaila Jordan drilled a three-pointer to keep MSU in front of the Tide. Defensively, the Bulldogs forced three early Tide turnovers to keep the momentum in MSU’s favor.
The Bulldogs’ early shutdown of Alabama ended at 7:42 when Sarah Ashlee Barker scored for the Tide, slimming MSU’s lead to 23-13. Fortunately for MSU, this shot did not breathe life into Alabama’s offensive attack. The Bulldogs’ offense continued its domination and outscored the Crimson Tide 18-7 in the second quarter.
MSU graduate student Smith explained how the coaches prepared the team to continue its success following a commanding first-half performance.
“Honestly, [coach Purcell] kept us humble. He kept us on our toes, and he let us know that [the score] is 0-0,” Smith said. “No matter what happened in that first half, it’s 0-0. It’s anybody’s game. So that first five minutes coming out of halftime is super important (for) kind of setting the tone for the rest of the half.”
Ahead 47-28 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs looked to carry on their impressive performance and earn a key victory.  On the other hand, Alabama looked to silence the Bulldogs’ offense and find a way to win.
MSU’s offense responded with six points to push the lead ahead by 17 with 1:05 left in the game, making any chance of an Alabama comeback improbable. Even though Alabama outscored MSU 17-13 in the quarter, Alabama’s effort was not enough to overcome the damages in the first three quarters. 
As the final buzzer sounded, the MSU faithful cheered as the Bulldogs ran away with a 60-45 victory over an SEC foe.
The Bulldogs 19-8 (8-6) will play their final regular season home game against the University of Arkansas on Thursday at 8 p.m. SEC Network will livestream the game.