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Mississippi State women's basketball upsets LSU, Angel Reese in front of sold-out crowd

stefan krajisnik, mississippi clarion ledger
·3 min read
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STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women's basketball picked up its best win of the Sam Purcell era on Monday, taking down No. 9 LSU at Humphrey Coliseum with a final score of 77-73.

The victory against the defending national champions came in front of a sold-out crowd, the first of Purcell's tenure, which started when he was hired in March 2022.

Mississippi State (17-5, 4-3 SEC) got the win in large part to guards Jerkaila Jordan, who led the Bulldogs with 24 points, and Darrione Rogers, who added 19 off the bench. Despite the Tigers (18-4, 5-3) having four players scoring in double figures, including 20 from star forward Angel Reese, MSU built a lead as large as nine in the game.

It's the first win for Mississippi State against LSU since 2021.

Mjracle Sheppard provides spark

For a freshman, guard Mjracle Sheppard didn’t appear to be afraid of the task at hand. She was the spark for Mississippi State off the bench, collecting 12 points and six steals.

Despite being matched up with one of the nation’s toughest guards, Sheppard continued with the defensive effort that has earned her playing time in key moments. LSU’s Hailey Van Lith, who played at Louisville during Purcell’s time as an assistant, was limited to four points and turned the ball over three times.

Van Lith has success defending MSU guard Lauren Park-Lane, so Purcell turned to Sheppard. She delivered, so much so that Purcell elected to start her in the second half.

Turnovers, Jessika Carter’s absence costly for Bulldogs in first half

LSU scored 18 points in the first quarter — a frustrating mark for Mississippi State considering 13 of those came off seven turnovers. In the first half, 19 of LSU’s 40 points were off turnovers to fuel a 40-35 edge.

The Tigers were active in the passing lanes and with their hands, collecting eight steals in the first half. Three of those steals came against Park-Lane, who accounted for five first-half turnovers.

Despite the mistakes, Mississippi State was able to hold a lead after one quarter. However, with center Jessika Carter on the bench after getting two fouls, LSU grabbed momentum.

With Carter out for the first four minutes of the second quarter, LSU went on a 12-4 run to build a six-point lead.

STAR GUARD: Inside Jerkaila Jordan's motivation to prove Mississippi State basketball has SEC's top guard

What’s next on Mississippi State’s schedule?

The Bulldogs are back on the road for their next two games. MSU plays at Kentucky on Thursday (6 p.m., SEC Network+) and at Texas A&M on Sunday (3 p.m., SEC Network).

Mississippi State edged Kentucky in their lone meeting last season, winning by one at home. The Aggies dropped both regular-season games against the Bulldogs last season, but pulled off an upset win in the SEC tournament.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State women's basketball upsets No. 9 LSU, Angel Reese