Mississippi State Bulldogs news: Lauren Park-Lane makes history while Jeff Lebby is focused on future
By Ethan Lee
Things have been pretty busy over the past few days. And I haven't been doing enough of keeping the news on the forefront of everything. So, let's start keeping the Mississippi State Bulldogs news front and center.
There's a number of different things we can talk about. Football has been recruiting well. The Mississippi State women's basketball team is on the road. And it seems like those two topics are good places to start.
Let's start going through the news. And, well, let's get started with the Mississippi State women's basketball team:
Mississippi State Bulldogs news: Lauren Park-Lane makes Mississippi State basketball history
Lead story: Park-Lane's record night powers MSU win
I don't know how you could lead with anything other than how Lauren Park-Lane had a historic performance for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. She managed to hit 10 three-pointers to set a new Mississippi State basketball (either men's or women's) single-game record in the Bulldogs' 82-75 win over Colorado State. Park-Lane finished with 33 points. Her sharpshooting helped set the stage for MSU to overcome a second half deficit and pull out the tough road victory. Jessika Carter added an efficient 14 points and eight rebounds.
Related story: Full team effort fuels MSU offense
It shouldn't be any surprise that Park-Lane managed to steal the show, but it's worth remembering that Mississippi State got contributions up and down the lineup. Jerkaila Jordan stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, six assists and four rebounds. Erynn Barnum was active on the boards for 13 rebounds and scored nine points. It was a total team effort that supported Park-Lane's monster night. Multiple Bulldogs have shown the ability to take over games this year. And that's good to see.
By the Numbers: Key stats from MSU win vs. Colorado State
- 10 three-pointers by Park-Lane
- 23 assists for MSU
- 43-27 rebounding edge for Bulldogs
- 26-11 scoring advantage for MSU in 4th quarter
Sam Purcell's Mississippi State Bulldogs have now shown they can beat a good team on the road (and they also demonstrated they can get a win in multiple ways. The Mississippi State women's basketball team now sits at 12-2 as it gets set for a matchup with Mississippi Valley State on December 29.
Mississippi State football news: Jeff Lebby focused on future of MSU Bulldogs
Jeff Lebby builds strong class in a hurry
He was limited in the amount of time available to get to recruiting, but Jeff Lebby and his staff built a respectable and solid Mississippi State signing class. According to Lebby, he relentlessly contacted recruits once he got to Starkville. He said that the emphasis on relationships was key in salvaging the class by keeping several recruits set on coming to State. Oh, and his efforts brought in several new commits like Ricky Johnson, Cyrus Reyes, and a whole host of transfers.
Transfers, JUCO recruits add experience
Jeff Lebby wants to get his offense going next season and he's got to overhaul this roster. So, it makes sense that he'd bring in a class in which 15 members will arrive with various levels of college football experience. Lebby leaned heavily on transfers and junior colleges to assemble this signing class. Hopefully most of these guys can contribute once they get to campus. Additions like defensive lineman Ashun Sheppard out of EMCC have the potential to make instant impacts.
Stated recruiting focus on character and culture
If you ask Mississippi State's head coach about how he's building this team, Jeff Lebby will apparently tell you he's bringing in guys that are focused on culture and thriving. As he actually did say in a press conference, Lebby wants players that are serious about being good on and off the field. He made it clear that he is focused on bringing the right personalities into the locker room. That's why guys like offensive line transfer Ethan Miner were important to get.
Today's tunes:
I know I formatted this a little different, but I wanted to test out a new layout here. But hey, you're still getting music to listen to.
Not in the mood for Christmas tunes? That's fine. Let's do a little self reflection as the year comes to a close (from the banks of the Mississippi River).