More Than Just Another W
February 09, 2024 | Women's Basketball
State’s Thursday night triumph over Georgia held additional significance.
STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State women's basketball team has found its rhythm with a five-game winning streak, but Thursday's victory over Georgia was more than just another check in the win column.
The Bulldogs were decked out in pink from head to toe, featuring pink uniforms, sneakers and other accessories for the annual Think Pink game supporting breast cancer awareness. Head coach Sam Purcell even got in on the action with a pink tie and some bright pink shoes on the sideline.
"I try to put it in perspective for my young women," Purcell said. "There're bigger issues than us trying to figure out how to score two points. So, let's go out and give honor for what this game is and play for those who have lost somebody or have battled through cancer. That's the biggest thing we can do, and I thought my young women have done that."
Mississippi State did just that on Thursday night, putting in maximum effort from start to finish in front of the pink-laden crowd at Humphrey Coliseum. The homestanding Bulldogs held Georgia to 57 points in the 76-57 victory, which was tied for their least number of points allowed in Southeastern Conference play.
Point guard Lauren Park-Lane continued to orchestrate the dynamic Mississippi State offense by dishing out nine assists, which stands as a single-game high for her this year in SEC action. The graduate point guard not only left it all out on the court for her team, but in honor of some loved ones who have had their lives affected by breast cancer.
"It means a lot, especially because I have a couple of people in my life who have been touched by breast cancer and stuff like that," Park-Lane said. "It's always bigger than you, so you go out there and you play for something bigger than yourself, and I think that means a lot to all of us."
In addition to the Think Pink game, the Bulldogs also took time to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day which occurred on Wednesday. It's a day that's close to Purcell's heart, as he's a girl dad who has coached the sport of women's basketball for years.
Purcell showed love to some of his assistant coaches like Michelle Clark-Heard, who has spent decades coaching the women's game and holds 13 years of head coaching experience, as well as Murriel Page, who played 11 seasons in the WNBA from 1998-2009.
"Obviously I'm partial to the sport because one, I coach it, but I've got three little daughters," Purcell said. "And it's really cool when I have some legends on my staff like Michelle Clark-Heard, who's been in the game forever. She's seen women's basketball change like no other, and to hear her testimony and her story is unbelievable. It gives me goosebumps. And then you've got Murriel Page who was one of what I call the OGs of the WNBA. She was one of the first ones, and now look at the opportunities that are in the WNBA."
It's also a day that means a lot to Park-Lane, who has worked so hard to get where she is today. The Wilmington, Delaware native has gone from an undersized 5-foot-3 point guard to being one of two active players in women's college basketball with 2000-plus points and 800-plus assists alongside Iowa's Caitlin Clark. She's seen women's basketball continue to grow and believes that there's no better time to be a woman in sports.
"I think it means a lot, because the women's basketball game is on the up and up right now," Park-Lane said. "Everybody's tuned into women's basketball. Like Coach Sam always says, It's a good time to be a woman in sports. I don't know if anybody's seen that message from my mom, but just seeing that from her and her kind words to me, that meant so much to me. It's just a great time to be a woman in sports right now."
"Your story embodies all of the characteristics that National Girls and Women in Sports Day stands for."
— Mississippi State Women's Basketball (@HailStateWBK) February 7, 2024
Today and every day, we celebrate those inspiring the next generation.#HailState🐶 x #2024NGWSD pic.twitter.com/0ASKERonz2
Purcell shares the same sentiment as Park-Lane, believing that the narrative has changed around women's hoops. Just last week, Mississippi State had a sellout crowd for its victory over No. 9 LSU, a truly special moment for not only the Bulldogs, but women's athletics as a whole.
"I get goosebumps because I think about our LSU game," Purcell said. "How many people got to watch women's basketball on a national stage? We've been fighting for this space and it's here. And then outside of that, like I told my young women, the narrative has changed. It's not just little girls, there's a lot of little boys, and they love and have a lot of respect because these women are special. It was just a great week, and I couldn't be happier to be the head coach at Mississippi State."
