Mississippi State basketball builds confidence ahead of SEC openers

Mississippi State women’s basketball rolled past Samford as SEC play approaches, while the men look to continue momentum at Humphrey Coliseum.

Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Jayden Epps (10) passes the ball against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half at McCamish Pavilion. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The long break for Mississippi State’s women’s basketball team didn’t seem to have a negative impact.

The Bulldogs put on a showcase in a 112-54 win against Samford that saw four players finish with double-doubles.

“(Coming) off a five-day break, one-day practice, a shoot-around, quick turnaround; we've got flu, we've got sickness going on and we put an effort like that against a good Samford team,” Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell said. “I know our fans will be like, yeah, right. But that's the same team that was only down five points at half to Alabama, who's in the top 25, a team that was down 14-7 at the end of the first quarter to Florida. They had our respect and I think you saw a team that came out and showed that respect tonight.”

What should give the Bulldogs confidence headed into SEC play later this week was Sunday was the second-straight game Purcell said the team played a full, four quarters.

“Amen, that’s back-to-back games,” Purcell said. “That's obviously going to be key in this league. Again, I can't talk enough about this league. If you look at bracketology and the tournament started today, I think you've got five teams that are going to host if it started today.”

Now, it’s the Mississippi State men’s team’s turn on the court at Humphrey Coliseum.

The last time we saw the Bulldogs was a solid 71-66 win against a talented Memphis team. It was their third consecutive win after a 4-5 start to the season.

The Bulldogs will look to continue that positive momentum Monday against Alabama State. It’ll be important since Mississippi State will head to Austin, Texas to start its SEC schedule against Texas.

Here's how you can watch Monday night's final nonconference game for Mississippi State:

How to Watch: Alabama State at Mississippi State

• Who: Alabama State Hornets (3-9) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-5)
• When: 6:30 p.m., Monday
• Where: Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, Miss.
• TV: SECN+
• Radio: Live Radio
• Stats: Live Stats
• Series History: Mississippi State leads all-time series 4-0
• Last Meeting: Mississippi State 96, Alabama State 58 (November 10, 2017)
• Last time out, Bulldogs: def. Memphis, 71-66
• Last time out, Hornets: lost to Memphis, 88-67

Mississippi State Stat Leaders

• Points: Josh Hubbard (21.2 ppg, .418 FG%)
• Rebounds: Quincy Ballard (6.9 rpg, 1.8 offensive rpg)
• Assists: Josh Hubbard (3.8 apg, 2.5 turnovers per game)

Alabama State Stat Leaders

• Points: Asjon Anderson (17.4 ppg, .368 FG%)
• Rebounds: Jerquarius Stanback (4.9 rpg, 1.9 offensive rpg)
• Assists: Asjon Anderson (3.8 apg, 3.4 turnovers per game)