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Mississippi State women's basketball shuts down Alcorn State to earn second win

The Bulldogs stifled the Lady Braves' offense to move to 2-0.

By Andrew Miller

Mississippi State guard Jerkaila Jordan (2) moves the ball past Texas A & M guard Tineya Hylton (3) during the third quarter of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament game three at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. Thursday, March 7, 2024.
Mississippi State guard Jerkaila Jordan (2) moves the ball past Texas A & M guard Tineya Hylton (3) during the third quarter of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament game three at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. Thursday, March 7, 2024. / MCKENZIE LANGE/ Staff / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Mississippi State women's basketball moved to 2-0 on the season after a 73-45 victory over Alcorn State. Here are a few takeaways from their win...

Mississippi State basketball played outstanding defense

On a night where the Bulldogs didn't have a large offensive output (somewhat because of a quieter 4th quarter with the game already out of reach), Mississippi State was still able to win in dominant fashion because of their defense. State held the Lady Braves to just 28% shooting, won the rebounding battle 42-29, and forced 20 turnovers. Alcorn State had just one player reach double figures, scoring 11. While this was obviously a greatly outmatched opponent, the Bulldogs did to Alcorn State precisely what a SEC team should do to a team of their caliber.

Jerkaila Jordan returned to form vs Alcorn State

One of the most impressive parts of Mississippi State's dominant season-opening win over Memphis was that they put 100 points on the board with their best player, Jerkaila Jordan, only providing two of those points. Jordan looked more like her typical self against Alcorn State. She finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-18 shooting. She again struggled from three, but she made impacts in other ways with seven rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals. Jordan has long been able to do a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs, and that was on display in this game. It was good to see her back in form.

The Bulldogs have yet another weapon with Destiny McPhaul

It's clear Sam Purcell did a good job of adding several strong scoring options to the Bulldog roster in the offseason. Guard Destiny McPhaul is one of those options. The top JUCO guard recruit in the country, McPhaul has scored double-figures in each of State's first two games. She went for 15 on 5-6 shooting Sunday night, including a perfect 3-3 from distance. McPhaul, Jordan, Eniya Russell, and Debreasha Powe give State plenty of talent in their backcourt. This could be one of the better scoring teams in the SEC.

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