Mississippi State women’s basketball handle business early in blowout win over Florida A&M

STARKVILLE — It all felt a little too casual on Thursday night at The Hump. 

Though both coaching staffs and many fans were clad in festive gear for the holiday season, there was a lack of intensity in the game itself. 

Mississippi State pulled out early to handedly defeat Florida A&M 72-47, moving to 9-2 on the season with just two non-conference games remaining. 

Given the gap between the two teams early, the score could have been 100 for the Bulldogs, but bad shooting habits showed up in the second half to slow things down for the home team. 

“Excited for the win, the defensive effort, unbelievable again,” Purcell said, evaluating the performance. “I love my team, but like I keep saying, I promise you we’re working on layups and free throws. It’s only a matter of time before they fall, and let’s make sure they fall in next week because we’ve got two big ones ahead of us.”

MSU matched their slow offense with good defense, holding the Rattlers to just 31% from the field, and just 16 points for the entire first half. 

Strong defense has been a core principle of this year’s team, and something that’s fueled them when shots aren’t falling. 

As much as defense has fueled the Bulldogs, sharing the ball has been as beneficial. All but one Bulldog scored four or more points on the night and their ability to keep that responsibility off of just one player is evident this season. 

“I think our M.O. is not allowing people to scout one person, or us to have just one person that we can go to. It’s a team effort,” Smith said. “I think that coach put a lot of emphasis on that this week to share the ball, get open shots, but get the easy shot. No hero ball, but let everyone get a touch and everybody get a feel for it.”

Sharing the ball and strong defense went hand-in-hand for MSU, as the Bulldogs capitalized off offensive opportunities as players attacked quickly, pushing the offense. 

They out-scored Florida A&M, 24-10, in points off turnovers, and scored nine-fast break points in the win.

“Just get after it on defense and push the ball,” guard Asianae Johnson said. “Get something easy, obviously we have a few plays, but if we can get something in transition and get something easy that’s our best option.”

Thursday night was about more than just basketball, with a moment of silence held before tip-off in honor of former head football coach Mike Leach after he tragically died on Monday night. 

Purcell opted not to wear a christmas sweater, instead donning an MSU Hawaiian shirt in honor of his late friend. 

“Obviously, we’re still sad like everybody else for Mike Leach,” Purcell said. “I’m not going to be here next week for the awesome memorial service that we are going to have here at the Hump, because we will be done in Tampa. So, I was at Walmart. I thought why am I trying to get a sweater, but I just wanted to give him a little love. 

“For Mike just like everybody else, we love you.”

The Bulldogs travel to Tampa over the weekend for the Sun Coast Classic, taking on Old Dominion and New Mexico in their final two non-conference games before SEC play begins on Dec. 29. 

Notes:

• Asianae Johnson was effective again off the bench, putting up 11 points from 5-5 shooting. The energy she brings in the rotation is a big boost, especially on nights like this when things get slow. 
• Ahlana Smith has played with a brace on her wrist since returning to action. Hasn’t affected her play too much, though she had a slow night on offense. Got 5 rebounds though.