Mississippi State women back in SEC action Sunday against No. 8 Oklahoma

The Bulldogs didn't have much time to celebrate its SEC opening win against Auburn as they hit the road to face a young, talented Sooners team.

Mississippi State Guard Trayanna Crisp (#4), Mississippi State Strength and Conditioning Coach Kaiti Jones, Mississippi State Director of Women's Basketball Recruiting Operations Jimmy Yu, Mississippi State Center Faith Wylder (#23) and Mississippi State Center Rocío Jiménez (#13) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State opened up SEC play with a good performance against Auburn on Thursday, but didn’t have much time to celebrate the win.

The Bulldogs will be back in action Sunday on the road against No. 8 Oklahoma, who won their own SEC opener against Texas A&M, 72-50.

Sunday’s matchup will feature some of the best freshmen in the country with players like Madison Francis and Jaylah Lampley for Mississippi State and Aaliyah Chavez for Oklahoma.

“They’re a lot like us. You can’t play off anyone. They’ve got tremendous returning experience, and their coach is phenomenal. I have a ton of respect for her energy and what she’s built,” Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell said after Thursday’s win against Auburn. “They’ve got Chavez, one of the best freshmen in the country, Peyton Verhulst on the wing, and Beers is an absolute workhorse. She’s a stud.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ll have a great scout, travel safely, and play loose. We’re playing with house money on the road, but we need to play together and be ready for their best punch.”

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The Bulldogs will pose a much tougher challenge to Oklahoma than the Aggies did. Part of that is because opposing teams can’t know for sure which Bulldog will have a big game.

“If you’re scouting us, we’ve got five players who can score in double figures. Who are you going to take away?” Purcell said. “Madison Francis is getting national recognition. Favour is an SEC Player of the Year candidate. Jaylah was SEC Freshman of the Week. Chandler (Prater) had five straight double-doubles. (Destiney McPhaul) has back-to-back 10-assist games.”

How to Watch: Mississippi State at No. 8 Oklahoma

• Who: Mississippi State Bulldogs (14-1, 1-0) at No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners (13-1, 1-0)
• When: 2 p.m., Sunday
• Where: Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, Okla.
• TV: SECN+
• Radio: Live Radio
• Stats: Live Stats
• Series History: Oklahoma leads all-time series 2-1
• Last Meeting: Mississippi State 81, Oklahoma 77 (January 9, 2025)
• Last time out, Bulldogs: def. Auburn, 75-53
• Last time out, Sooners: def. Texas A&M, 72-50

Mississippi State Stat Leaders

• Points: Favour Nwaedozi, 14.3 ppg
• Rebounds: Favour Nwaedozi, 10.9 rpg
• Assists: Destiney McPhaul, 59
• Steals: Destiney McPhaul, 29
• Blocks: Madison Francis, 45

Oklahoma Stat Leaders

• Points: Aaliyah Chavez, 19.0 ppg
• Rebounds: Raegan Beers, 10.8 rpg
• Assists: Aaliyah Chavez, 63
• Steals: Zya Vann, 37
• Blocks: Raegan Beers, 15