Mississippi State's Nikki McCray-Penson era begins with blowout win over Jackson State
STARKVILLE, Miss. – There wasn't a soul in the stands at Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday. With only a couple of days passed since Mississippi State scheduled a sudden season-opening game against Jackson State, there was not enough time to organize things where the public could attend.
So as new Mississippi State head coach Nikki McCray-Penson walked out of the tunnel for her Bulldog debut, there were no roars. There wasn't a jam-packed arena applauding. No matter, there were still nerves.
"You get those butterflies in your stomach because you're ready for this game to get started and for the ball to tip up," McCray-Penson said. "Once that happens, you're in mode. But throughout the day, I'm not going to sit here and lie. I'm sitting here like, 'I'm ready for the ball to jump up.' I was ready."
Fortunately for State's new leader, her team was ready, too. And it wasn't long before the Bulldogs were off and running towards McCray-Penson's first victory in maroon and white.
MSU defeated Jackson State 88-58. It was a dominating performance that saw the Bulldogs knock down a dozen 3-pointers as a team and get four different players scoring in double figures in a game that wasn't even on the schedule until earlier this week.
Mississippi State head coach Nikki McCray-Penson coaches on Sunday against Jackson State. (Photo by Austin Perryman)
The Bulldogs were originally slated to start off this season playing a couple of games in the Women's Hall of Fame Challenge this weekend. However that event was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues. Rather than wait to open up its 2020-21 campaign, MSU quickly set up the game against Jackson State, then came out and shined on Sunday.
"Our kids are adjusting on the fly," McCray-Penson said. "They found a way to come out and play with energy, which was a big topic for us because we knew we were not going to have fans and (our players) are used to fans. When you have great fans here at Mississippi State and they're not able to be there, they (can't) give you energy. So you have to create that energy from within."
There certainly appeared to be energy aplenty. McCray-Penson's fast-paced, transition style of offense looked good on the Bulldogs. Rickea Jackson led the way with 19 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. Jessika Carter scored 14. JaMya Mingo-Young tallied 13 with a pair of treys, and Myah Taylor hit three shots from beyond the arc on the way to finishing with 11 points.
As a team, MSU shot 41 percent from the field and limited Jackson State to 31 percent shooting. The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Tigers 55-41.
It was a one-sided showing, though State started slowly. In fact, neither team found much offensive success in the first quarter. MSU shot only 27.8 percent as a team in the period and Jackson State didn't make a field goal over the first 10 minutes of action. Still, the Bulldogs led 14-4 after the first quarter, then put the game away by outscoring the Tigers 60-29 over the course of the second and third periods.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, it was all academic. The Bulldogs and their new coach were headed for a 1-0 start. They'll try to make it 2-0 this coming Wednesday when MSU welcomes New Orleans to Humphrey Coliseum for a 7:00 p.m. central contest.
From there, the road will only get tougher for the Bulldogs. Many challenges no doubt await. But Sunday was certainly a start and a step in the right direction towards where McCray-Penson and the Bulldogs ultimately want to get to.
"We're nowhere near where we need to be," McCray-Penson said. "But I'm just thankful for them getting this win. It's my first win here as the head coach at Mississippi State. They wanted it for me, but I wanted it for them. Our coaches did a great job of scouting. So the credit doesn't go to me, it goes to them."
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