The Mississippi State University women’s basketball team dropped their first SEC home game of 2023 against in-state rivals the University of Mississippi by a score of 61-50 Sunday at Humphrey Coliseum.
MSU started off strong in the opening quarter with a 7-0 run but quickly began to lose their momentum as the Rebels pressured hard to capitalize on the Bulldogs’ mistakes.
Bulldogs’ head coach Sam Purcell commented on the defensive battle between his team and the Rebels in his first SEC game in Starkville.
“First and foremost, I just want to give credit to Ole Miss,” Purcell said postgame. “The game was what I thought it would be: two teams absolutely getting after it defensively, and it was going to come down to the little things like not turning the ball over. Over 50% of our offense comes from turnovers or rebounds.”
In the second half of the game, Ole Miss outscored MSU and took control of the game. MSU shot 35% from the floor, 50% from the free throw line and 23% behind the arc, while the Rebels shot 42% from the field, 75% from the free throw line and 23% behind the arc.
After the game, coach Purcell discussed the message to his team going into the half.
“We talked about it at halftime that we did an unbelievable job on the board, and we talked about how you have to be willing to come out in the second half and win this game 52-50,” Purcell said. “It’s going to be ugly; you can feel it. Their length, the way they get after it, so it was going to come down to four quarters of who the tougher team was, and unfortunately, we’ve got a lot of great film to watch, and we’ve got to give all the credit to them.”
The Bulldogs had 20 turnovers overall for the night, and the team allowed Ole Miss to snatch the momentum away in the fourth quarter.
Coach Purcell challenged Bulldog fans to show up and show out for the New Year’s Day game, and a crowd of over 6,000 fans attended the SEC match-up.
“I want to make sure I give our fanbase an unbelievable ‘thank you.’ I challenged everybody on social media to give my young women a chance, and that’s what I’m still asking,” Purcell said. “Stay with them. They absolutely played their hearts out. They’re as disappointed as anybody in the outcome, but I can promise you one thing. They’re going to continue to work hard behind the scenes and play hard for you all. 
The Bulldogs hit the road on Jan. 5 to face the University of Tennessee Lady Vols. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT.