A Successful Twin Bill In Tupelo
December 15, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
TUPELO – Mississippi State fans were treated to two incredible basketball games inside Cadence Bank Arena on Saturday.
Although both games ultimately went the Bulldogs' way, neither were for the faint of heart. Each contest came down to the buzzer and were both decided by three points. The women overcame an 11-point deficit to defeat Belmont 73-70 and the men rallied to beat McNeese State 66-63 after trailing for most of the night.
"We didn't make it public, but coach Sam Purcell and I got together before this afternoon and decided we'd make sure that the fans were engaged for all 80 minutes of both games," said men's head coach Chris Jans. "If you believe that, I've got some swamp land I can sell you."
All jokes aside, each team showcased collective poise and resiliency to make the necessary plays down the stretch to sweep the rare doubleheader.
For the women, Jerkaila Jordan buried a 3-pointer on the first shot of the game. But Mississippi State soon fell behind and trailed the Bruins for over 28 minutes of play. The Bulldogs went into the fourth quarter down 49-41 but quickly scored eight-straight points to tie things up with 7:39 to play.
It was nip-and-tuck from there as both teams traded baskets for a few possessions before Mississippi State started to pull away. The Bulldogs appeared to be trending towards the win column possessing a seven-point lead with under a minute to play.
Belmont, however, had other ideas.
The Bruins went on a 10-2 run to tie things at 70 with three seconds remaining in regulation. Trying to avoid overtime, Mississippi State inbounded the ball under Belmont's basket, but Destiney McPhaul was fouled on a last-ditch heave from over halfcourt to send her the line for three freebies with 0.2 ticks left.
"I was the one taking the ball out with three seconds left so I expected somebody else to get the shot," McPhaul said. "But the ball came back to me, so I had to go make a play. In the huddle, we talked about the fact that we were in the bonus and no matter what, we were shooting it. I had to draw a foul somehow in that situation and my basketball instincts kicked in."
McPhaul sank all three free throws to compete the comeback with the Maroon and White faithful in Tupelo providing the soundtrack with the same level of energy and excitement usually seen and heard an hour south in Humphrey Coliseum.
"I honestly think the crowd helped us," Jordan said. "The momentum while we were down and the way they were reacting and responding, it 100-percent felt like a home game. It's not The Hump, but it felt like The Hump tonight."
It was almost the same script when the men took the floor shortly thereafter. McNeese State led for nearly 15 minutes of the opening half and were still up with under five minutes to play in the game.
"We knew we weren't playing our best and had a rough start," said forward RJ Melendez. "We missed a lot of layups and we needed to make sure we secure those easy baskets, play defense and guard that 3-point line. They were hitting shots early, but it's hard to make shots for 40 minutes on a Mississippi State defense."
The Bulldogs came up cutch down the stretch at the charity stripe. Mississippi State made seven of its final eight free throws. Melendez knocked down three of those freebies and also snagged a crucial offensive rebound with 12 seconds remaining to finish with a team-high 19 points.
"We showed signs of a good, resilient team," said forward Cameron Matthews, who became the program's all-time leader with 218 career steals on Saturday. "We made big progress today and I'm proud of my guys. We made big plays down the stretch."
With the victories, Mississippi State basketball remains unbeaten in Tupelo. The men's teams are 6-0 all-time in Cadence Bank Arena while the women are a perfect 2-0 at that venue.
"I want to give a shoutout to all the people here in Tupelo," Purcell said. "I talked about it all week, this game was a lot more than just basketball. It was an opportunity for us to make a statement to our fans who go out of their way and us doing a nice gesture to come back to them."
It is one of three games the men's program has scheduled across the Magnolia State this season. The Bulldogs beat Utah 78-73 in Southaven on Nov. 17 and will take on Central Michigan in Jackson on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
"We've got some of the best fans in the country," Matthews said. "They really do travel, especially here around the state. I'm grateful for them and hope that they will continue to show love to the program."
