Mississippi State Overwhelmed by South Carolina as Bulldogs Fall 88-45

South Carolina controlled the game from start to finish, handing Mississippi State a 43-point loss that highlighted the Bulldogs’ shrinking margin for error.

Mississippi State players huddle before Thursday night's game against No. 3 South Carolina. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State walked into Columbia, S.C. hoping to steady a season wobbling in the wrong direction. Instead, the night turned into a reminder of how thin the Bulldogs’ margin for error has become and how quickly things can unravel against an elite opponent.

No. 3 South Carolina punched first, and Mississippi State never really punched back.

The Gamecocks opened the game in rhythm, moving the ball, stacking stops, and turning early energy into a double‑digit lead before the Bulldogs could settle in. Even when Mississippi State finally found a few clean looks late in the first quarter, it was already playing uphill, trailing 21-11 after 10 minutes and struggling to generate anything easy.

The second quarter offered a brief window where the Bulldogs looked capable of hanging around.

A timeout sparked a small push, the offense loosened, and the deficit shrank to single digits. But every time State threatened to make it interesting, South Carolina answered with a cleaner possession, a better shot, or a more physical finish. And when the Gamecocks closed the half with a burst (capped by a turnover that turned into momentum the other way) the Bulldogs jogged into the locker room down 16 and searching for answers.

“In the first half, we competed well, but in the second half, they went to their huge lineup and ran a 2-3 zone,” Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell said in his postgame radio interview. “They clogged the lane, made us shoot, and we couldn't get anyone going.”

Whatever hope Mississippi State carried into halftime evaporated almost immediately. South Carolina opened the third quarter with the same force it ended the second, and the Bulldogs had no counter.

“For me, I thought the third quarter was the dagger,” Purcell said. “I thought we had some great dialogue with the players at halftime, but we came out very flat. We played to win, but we didn't make the plays to win, and that's the ballgame.”

Defensive breakdowns piled up. Missed shots turned into transition chances the other way. The game’s competitive portion ended quickly, replaced by a long stretch of Gamecock control that ballooned into an 88–45 final.

For a Mississippi State team trying to claw back toward the middle of the SEC, the night was a harsh illustration of what happens when the offense stalls and the defense can’t buy time for it to recover.

Madison Francis continued to be one of the few reliable bright spots, finishing with 12 points, two steals, and two blocks — her 17th double‑figure outing of the season. Kharyssa Richardson matched her with 12 points of her own, extending her streak of double‑digit games to three.

But the Bulldogs needed far more than individual flashes to stay afloat against a team as polished and deep as South Carolina.

Mississippi State drops to 16-8 overall and 3-7 in SEC play, with little room left for nights where everything goes wrong at once.

The Bulldogs return home February 12, to face Georgia.

“We have another good opportunity ahead of us. Georgia is probably going to be in the top 25,” Purcell said. “We have a chance to add another nice win to our resume. We just need to stay laser-focused and keep that one-game-at-a-time mentality.”