Mississippi State's Women's Basketball Defeats Tennessee, 91-90 in Double Overtime Thriller

Mississippi State women's basketball defeated Tennessee, 91-90, in double overtime at Humphrey Coliseum on Monday night.

On one level, this game was an emotional one, as it marks Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson's return to Starkville, having played at Mississippi State for three seasons before transferring to the Volunteers during the offseason.

As part of a coach's decision, Bulldog forward Jessika Carter was not named to the starting lineup, giving center Charlotte Kohl her first start of the season. Carter however will take the court three minutes into the game.

Tied at 31 points at halftime, both teams went on scoring runs, leading to numerous lead changes. Tied at 68 with 1:32 left on the clock, neither offense was able to score in crunch time, resulting in the game going into overtime.

The crowd at Humphrey Coliseum was not happy with the officiating, and there was also foul trouble on both sides of the court, with Jessika Carter fouling out in the fourth quarter.

Bulldog head coach Sam Purcell had to be held back at times after some calls by the referee team, which resulted in him receiving a technical foul. Tennessee had 44 free throw attempts compared to Mississippi State's 30 attempts.

Despite some free throw struggles, the Bulldogs went on a 9-0 scoring run in the second overtime with 1:39 left before Tennessee closed in within two points off of four complete free throws.

The Bulldogs would make their own successful free throw shots to put them in the lead, with Tennessee's Rickea Jackson missing a three-pointer at the buzzer, resulting in a Mississippi State victory.

Bulldog guard JerKaila Jordan had herself a night, scoring a team-high 27 points, along with six rebounds and three steals. Two other Bulldog players finished in double-digits, with guards Asianae Johnson and Anastasia Hayes scoring 16 and 14 points respectively.

In her return to Starkville, Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson recorded a double-double, scoring 28 points, along with 11 rebounds and three assists while shooting 7-18 from the field against her former team.

With the victory, the Bulldogs improve to a 16-7 overall record, including 5-5 in SEC play. The Bulldogs are also 11-2 at home, with their only losses coming to Ole Miss and No. 1 South Carolina.

"We had a great talk this week," Bulldog coach Sam Purcell said after the game. "I had some tired bodies and tired minds, and we went back to the basics, and it started with me. We're doing way too much."

We know how to make plays, I've gotta get out of the way, but at the same time you all have to bring your attitude, your toughness. We made a change in transition defense, and I told both of them, my double A batteries over there, [Asianae] and [Anastasia], you all are two of the fastest kids in the SEC. You wanna win, you wanna change the tempo for our team, they gotta feel you for four quarters, but obviously, tonight was more."

Up next, the Bulldogs travel to play at Florida this Thursday at 6 p.m. CT in Gainesville. The game will be aired on SEC Network.