Skip to main content
Mississippi State
Join Now

State slams Pitt Panthers 79-44 in ACC/SEC Challenge

3rupauk8_400x400by: Robbie Faulk9 hours agoRobbieFaulkOn3

Sam Purcell challenged his team to take care of the basketball and rebound the ball better as they entered a matchup with Pittsburgh in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

The Bulldogs emphatically answered that on Thursday night.

Behind Destiney McPhaul’s 22-point evening, the Bulldogs rolled Pitt 79-44. It was a game that was much worse than the final score as State surrendered a 16-2 run in the final 5:26 as the Bulldogs emptied the bench.

In the win, State shot 45% and made 7-of-22 3-pointers and 6-of-9 free throws. In the areas that Purcell was most focused, State outrebounded the Panthers 51-41 and had just eight turnovers offensively while scoring 23 points on 18 turnovers from the Panthers.

State had an 8-6 lead midway through the first quarter and then the rout would begin. The Bulldogs outscored the Panthers 12-0 the rest of the quarter to take a 20-8 lead and that dominance would continue the next two quarters as State had a 42-14 lead at the half and made it as much as a 77-28 lead with 5:49 remaining.

It was a dominant day in the paint for the Bulldogs as they outscored Pitt 44-10 inside. Favour Nwaedozi had 14 points on 7-of-10 with seven rebounds and Madison Francis had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Both had two blocks each.

McPhaul had her best game of the season as she racked up 22 points point on 8-of-13. She helped the State defense clamp down on the Panthers and hold them to 13-of-59 (22%) shooting.

The Bulldogs moved to 8-1 on the season with another matchup on Sunday night at Humphrey Coliseum against Charlotte. Game time is set for 7 p.m. on SEC Network +.

You may also like