The Mississippi State University women’s basketball team fell to South Dakota State University 63-62 in their first away game Monday night.
The first quarter of the game got off to a slow start for both teams. However, in the final minutes of the quarter, the Jackrabbits’ offense pushed the Bulldogs and put together a few baskets.  The Bulldogs’ offense responded with a few drives of their own to keep the game close in the closing minutes of the period. The quarter ended with the Jackrabbits ahead 14-12. 
Opening the second quarter, MSU’s Asianae Johnson scored two baskets in the first minute, giving MSU an early 16-14 lead. 
Following these early baskets, the Jackrabbits silenced the Bulldogs’ offense for nearly three minutes. The Jackrabbits’ offense continued their strong attack and quickly overtook the lead again. The Bulldogs’ offense finally found life again, scoring 10 more points to end the quarter.
However, this push was not enough to keep up with the Jackrabbits who scored 18 points in the quarter to push their lead to 32-26. 
Coming out of halftime, the Jackrabbits held the Bulldogs scoreless in the first two and a half minutes of the third quarter as they advanced their lead to 37-26. 
However, the Bulldogs clawed their way back into the game and tied it up 39-39 with 4:09 remaining in the quarter.  
Following the Bulldogs’ attack, the Jackrabbits dialed up their defensive pressure, only allowing the Bulldogs five more points in the quarter.
Going into the fourth quarter, down 51-44, the Bulldogs’ offense needed to find another spark while defensively quieting the Jackrabbits. 
In the first four minutes, the Bulldogs scored seven points while holding the Jackrabbits to only three, slicing the Jackrabbits’ lead to 54-51. For the next four minutes, the Jackrabbits outplayed the Bulldogs and added five points to their lead.  
With less than three minutes remaining, the Bulldogs looked for any way to come back. With 2:51 left, MSU’s Debreasha Powe scored, giving the Bulldogs a chance. The Bulldogs’ offense fought hard, scoring nine points. Despite the Bulldogs’ defensive efforts, the Jackrabbits found their way to the basket, scoring four more points. 
In the end, MSU fell short and lost by one point to a challenging South Dakota State team.  
The hard-fought game was highlighted by the efforts of Johnson, Powe, Anastasia Hayes and Jerkaila Jordan. All four scored in double digits to end the game. The game was also a historic night for Hayes as she secured her 2,000th career point, which only two other active Division I players have reached.
Following the game, Bulldogs’ head coach Sam Purcell spoke about the difficulty of playing in SDSU’s energetic environment. 
“They don’t lose here, and it’s because of their crowd; it’s a special environment for women’s basketball,” Purcell said. “It’s loud, they have the band right beside our bench, which is very unique so the huddles are everything.”
The Bulldogs (2-1) return home for their next game against the Alabama State University Hornets on Friday at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on SEC Network Plus.