Mississippi State heads into Christmas break with dominant win against La Salle

The Bulldogs extended their win streak to eight games with an 85-37 win Saturday morning in Philadelphia.

Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell high fives Chandler Prater during Saturday's game against La Salle. | Mississippi State Athletics

If all Mississippi State women’s basketball team wanted for Christmas was an eight-game win streak, the Bulldogs will be very happy.

Mississippi State put on a dominant performance Saturday morning in an 85-37 win.

The Bulldogs forced the Explorers into 22 turnovers, outrebounded the Explorers 52-31 and made nearly 50 percent of its field goal attempts while holding La Salle to 24.2 percent.

IT'S A PARADE IN @DestineyMcphaul's CITY!#HailState pic.twitter.com/yrBUko5H8g

— Mississippi State Women's Basketball (@HailStateWBK) December 20, 2025

La Salle’s best quarter came in a feisty first quarter with several jump balls called because of tie ups. The Explorers managed to score just 12 points, only half of what Mississippi State scored.

The Explorers wouldn’t score more than nine points in a single quarter the rest of the game. Mississippi State had its biggest offensive output in the fourth quarter, outscoring La Salle 25-8.

It was the exact performance Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell had to be looking for as his team improves its record to 11-1 headed into the Christmas break.

McPhaul’s Homecoming

Playing in her hometown of Philadelphia, Destiney McPhaul spent a lot of time on the court in front of her family and friends.

McPhaul played a team-high 35 minutes and finished with a double-double. She had 16 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and six steals.

Purcell has talked about wanting McPhaul to be the “big dog” for the Bulldogs. On Saturday, she was exactly that.

Double-Doubles

Another Mississippi State game and Favour Nwaedozi has another double-double. The first-year Bulldog had a team-high 18 points and team-high 16 rebounds. She also was 5-of-9 from the field.

Chandler Prater also recorded a double-double in the win. She had 10 points and 10 rebounds, as well as a pair of assists and steals.

Freshman Injured

It wasn’t all good, though, for Mississippi State. Freshman Madison Francis played just 14 minutes after colliding with a teammate in the first half. She was already having a busy night with four points, two rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals.

No immediate injury update was available.

The Bulldogs will take their Christmas break this week and won’t return to action until next Sunday, December 28, against Samford. Tipoff at Humphrey Coliseum will be at 2 p.m. on SECN+.