Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Unselfish Play Equating To Victories Wrapped in Maroon And White
January 24, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Win over Auburn displays how Dawgs are continuing to grow together.
STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State women's basketball program's record-breaking 96-56 victory over Auburn was comparable to a track meet in more ways than one.
Witnessing each member of the roster pass the ball like a baton to each other on the court Thursday night at Humphrey Coliseum provided a true display of teamwork and togetherness that resulted in the largest margin of victory against a Southeastern Conference opponent this season.
With the most points scored against an SEC foe under head coach Sam Purcell, the constant hours building that type of chemistry on and off the court is paying dividends in the win column.
"Honestly, unselfishness," junior Denim DeShields said about the contributing factor for the dominating victory. "We were all kind of on-point tonight which is what we love to see. We have weapons one through five, and each game might be a different person who is at the top of the box score, but tonight we all had it going."
After Auburn secured the opening tip, it was a gritty battle between the two programs on a chilly night in Starkville. Early mishaps from the Bulldogs in the first quarter were quickly shut down to open the second, as Purcell lit a fire under his squad and urged them to put their feet on the pedal.
The scoring rout was on in the second quarter of the contest, as the Bulldogs scored 24 unanswered points and outscored the Tigers 33-4 in the period.
After each rebound, every player in Maroon and White hustled down to the other end of the court determined to get an eruption of support from the Bulldog faithful with an electrifying basket.
With a scoring display like Thursday night's outing, it's easy to notice five MSU players in double digits and several others inching close to the mark. But what was most important to Purcell was his team's togetherness that provided flashes of what this program is capable of.
"We have a special team," Purcell said. "Everybody's got to be willing to do the little things and believe in each other. If we can shut out the outside noise and know that the truth is in this locker room, we can do special things. If we can bottle all that up and keep that going, we're going to have a special year."
Since becoming the ninth head coach in MSU's storied history in 2022, Purcell's aspiration has always been to bring in players who are eager to form everlasting bonds with each other and build something special in every aspect of the game. With his talented roster filled with gritty and hungry competitors who genuinely love each other on and off the court, Purcell has achieved just that.
"When I first took the job, my mission was to go out and find the best players in the country and find a group of young women that would play together as a team," Purcell said. "That's the product I want to put on the floor. If you go back and watch that film, their teammates are smiling and jumping as happy as anybody. It makes me feel really good about where our team is now, and we've got to stay hungry."
Witnessing each member of the roster pass the ball like a baton to each other on the court Thursday night at Humphrey Coliseum provided a true display of teamwork and togetherness that resulted in the largest margin of victory against a Southeastern Conference opponent this season.
With the most points scored against an SEC foe under head coach Sam Purcell, the constant hours building that type of chemistry on and off the court is paying dividends in the win column.
"Honestly, unselfishness," junior Denim DeShields said about the contributing factor for the dominating victory. "We were all kind of on-point tonight which is what we love to see. We have weapons one through five, and each game might be a different person who is at the top of the box score, but tonight we all had it going."
After Auburn secured the opening tip, it was a gritty battle between the two programs on a chilly night in Starkville. Early mishaps from the Bulldogs in the first quarter were quickly shut down to open the second, as Purcell lit a fire under his squad and urged them to put their feet on the pedal.
The scoring rout was on in the second quarter of the contest, as the Bulldogs scored 24 unanswered points and outscored the Tigers 33-4 in the period.
After each rebound, every player in Maroon and White hustled down to the other end of the court determined to get an eruption of support from the Bulldog faithful with an electrifying basket.
With a scoring display like Thursday night's outing, it's easy to notice five MSU players in double digits and several others inching close to the mark. But what was most important to Purcell was his team's togetherness that provided flashes of what this program is capable of.
"We have a special team," Purcell said. "Everybody's got to be willing to do the little things and believe in each other. If we can shut out the outside noise and know that the truth is in this locker room, we can do special things. If we can bottle all that up and keep that going, we're going to have a special year."
Since becoming the ninth head coach in MSU's storied history in 2022, Purcell's aspiration has always been to bring in players who are eager to form everlasting bonds with each other and build something special in every aspect of the game. With his talented roster filled with gritty and hungry competitors who genuinely love each other on and off the court, Purcell has achieved just that.
"When I first took the job, my mission was to go out and find the best players in the country and find a group of young women that would play together as a team," Purcell said. "That's the product I want to put on the floor. If you go back and watch that film, their teammates are smiling and jumping as happy as anybody. It makes me feel really good about where our team is now, and we've got to stay hungry."
Players Mentioned
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