STARKVILLE — Kayla Thomas drew a foul with eight seconds left in Thursday’s Mississippi State women’s basketball game.
Normally, they wouldn’t be pressure free throws for Thomas at that stage in the game. MSU was ahead by 42 points.
But, the crowd was lively inside Humphrey Coliseum. She drained them both, pushing MSU (1-0) over the century mark for a 100-56 win against Memphis (1-1) in the season opener.
It was the third loud ovation from the fans in the final minutes of MSU’s win. Preseason All-SEC guard Jerkaila Jordan scored just two points, but impressive debuts from guard/forward Eniya Russell and center Madina Okot assisted in the win.
Both Russell and Okot received rousing applause from the crowd of 4,971 when they checked out of the game for the final time to cap the win in coach Sam Purcell’s third season.
“I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on Mississippi State, and they are going to look at this score like, ‘Mississippi State 100-56?’ ” Russell said. “They didn’t watch the game. I feel like this game we put a stepping stool to Mississippi State women’s basketball to respect us and respect coach Sam Purcell and the team he’s built this year.”
Here are the best and worst observations from the win.
Eniya Russell, Madina Okot shine in first Mississippi State games
Russell transferred to MSU after two seasons at Kentucky. Before that, she played two seasons at South Carolina. She’s a former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American, but had just two career starts in college.
Russell started on Thursday in her first game with the Bulldogs and scored a career-high 26 points shooting an efficient 10-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Twelve of her points came in the third quarter when Mississippi State ballooned its lead from 11 points to 70-44. The four 3-pointers were also a career high.
“The young lady is special,” Purcell said. “She made plays. Some of that was not coaching. That’s just her God-given ability, and I think our fanbase is going to really love watching her play.”
Okot provided the jolt for MSU early. The 6-foot-6 center from Kenya nearly had a double-double in the first half. She finished with 14 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks.
Mississippi State out-rebounded Memphis 61-33.
“Madina is the definition of a humble beast,” guard/forward Chandler Prater said. “She just puts her head down and works. She supports us in every phase of the work. She gets her work done, and she just makes it look easy.”
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Jerkaila Jordan only made one basket
The blowout was even more impressive considering star guard Jerkaila Jordan only scored two points. She missed her first 10 shots until finally sinking a short jump shot with 6:33 remaining in the fourth quarter.
It was just the fourth time she’s been held to two or fewer points in 98 career games. Last season, she averaged a career high 16.2 points per game.
“We know how great of a player Jerkaila is, but if she has an off-night, which happens in basketball, she believes in us,” guard Debreasha Powe said. “She trusts us to pick up what’s out there.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State women’s basketball: Unpacking win vs Memphis
