Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the University of Illinois Wednesday night, 70-56, in the First Four of the 2023 March Madness Women’s NCAA D1 tournament. This is Mississippi’s 21st win of the season and 23rd all-time NCAA Tournament win. This is head coach Sam Purcell’s first season with the Bulldogs.
“Here you go. You know you always get me. You get me. I’m not doing it. Again, it’s not about me. I appreciate all the love and the recognition, but I would not be sitting here today if I wasn’t coaching a great group of young women,” Purcell said.
Redshirt Senior Jessika Carter was dominant scoring 22 points with nine rebounds. Mississippi State’s bench outscored Illinois 20-6 with two other players, Anastasia Hayes and JerKaila Jordan, scoring in double digits.
Mississippi State will take on the No. 6 seeded Creighton Blue Jays in the Round of 64 which is scheduled for Friday, March 17th at 6:00 p.m. ET.
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