Mississippi State had their first sell-out under Sam Purcell tonight as they welcomed ninth-ranked LSU to Humphrey Coliseum. Jerkaila Jordan scored 24 points while a pair of other Bulldogs were also in double figures as Mississippi State took down LSU 77-73.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The old adage that basketball is a game of runs couldn’t have been more true to start this game in Starkville. After the Bulldogs got an early basket, LSU forced turnovers and went on an 8-0 run to take the 8-2 advantage. However, Mississippi State didn’t get phased as they then went on a 14-2 over the next 3:45 to take a 16-10 lead at the first media timeout of the time with 3:14 left in the opening quarter.
The Tigers found a little bit of a rhythm, including a beautifully designed and execution full-court inbounds play right as the quarter expired to cap an 8-4 run and cut the Bulldog lead to just two at 20-18 after one quarter. Angel Reese had four points in the quarter while Jerkaila Jordan led all scorers with nine.
LSU came out firing in the second quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 19-13 to take a 37-33 lead with 2:00 left in the half. However, the Bulldogs would not go away as they forced back-to-back turnovers by the Tigers. At the end of the first half, Aneesah Morrow hit a three from the top of the key to take a 40-35 lead into the locker room. Angel Reese led all scorers at the break with 10 points and nine rebounds.
The second half started the same way the first half ended as both teams kept pace with each other. The Bulldogs outscored LSU 16-10 to take a 51-50 lead at the third-quarter media timeout with 4:47 remaining. Jordan had 19 points for Mississippi State while Flau’jae Johnson led the Tigers with 12.
After the Tigers gained the lead 53-51, the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run to take a five-point lead and forced Kim Mulkey to take a timeout with 2:45 left in the third. Sam Purcell’s team kept the pedal down, forcing LSU to miss their next 10 field goals and 1 make in their last 12 as the Bulldogs led 63-57 at the end of the third.
LSU started the fourth quarter with five turnovers and no points for four minutes as the Bulldogs scored five straight points to take a 70-61 lead at the final media timeout of the game.
LSU was able to hold Mississippi State scoreless for nearly five minutes, but a critical three from Darrione Rogers gave the Bulldogs a six-point lead. LSU was able to cut it down to three late, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Bulldogs got their first Top 25 win since 2018, taking down the defending national champions 77-73.
BIG NUMBER: 53
Mississippi State shot 53% from behind the three-point line, which kept them distanced from the Tigers and held on for a massive win.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jerkaila Jordan
Jordan was unreal on one of the biggest stages Mississippi State has seen in a long time, scoring 24 points on 9-17 shooting. The guard added five steals, four rebounds, and three assists.
UP NEXT: LSU will look to get back on the winning track when they host Florida at the PMAC on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.